The Desperate and The Forgotten
by Renowitz
Summary: The Doctor takes the team to an unexplored, undiscovered primitive planet as a treat. As usual, things are never that easy. What's all this talk about Gods and Demons? Who's the Shaman? Why are there pyramids with space tech on them? What's happened to Rose and most importantly, what is Jack wearing? Desperate people do thoughtless things, The Doctor will set it right.
1. Spanners & Tea

**The Desperate and The Forgotten**

**Chapter One**

The TARDIS floated peacefully in the vast darkness of space. To look upon the strange blue box floating alone in the Universe you would think it was out of place, but it appeared to be right at home. Leaning to one side as if reclined in relaxation, drifting along an invisible lazy river. Inside the unusual spaceship was equally as peaceful.

Two large boots poked up through the grated floor of the control room, the body they'd belonged to somewhere below. They tapped time softly as the whistling tune of 'one foot in the grave' cheerily echoed around the massive room. The Doctor, in his tried and true leather jacket, dark jumper and dark jeans, was all but upside-down working on the underside of the console. His happy whistling kept him company as he tinkered away.

"-but give me half a chance and I can still misbehave!" The Doctor sang out loud as he clanged against something several times, then resumed whistling. "Hmm." He paused. "Rose, could you pass me the spanner?" He reached a hand up from under the grating expectantly but there was no response. The fingers wiggled for a moment, then the whole hand sank back under the grating and The Doctor poked his head up. "Rose?" He looked around, then shrugged. "Never around when you need them." He reached out to grab the wrench he had sought and disappeared under the grating once more.

Rose was in the TARDIS kitchen with a one Captain Jack Harkness. The two were conversing over a cup of tea like old friends. Having Jack on board had been a welcome change to Rose's life, up until that point she had spent all her waking moments at The Doctor's side. He never sat still for very long, but when he did all she could do was watch him work and hand him tools. Sometimes he would converse with her, mostly she just talked to herself. On very rare occasions she coaxed him into doing something as normal as catching up on her shows with her, but he was terrible to watch telly with. Made all kinds of sarcastic remarks that made Rose feel dumb and wish she'd never asked him to join her.

"Ah, we live a charmed life, Rosie." Jack smiled charmingly as he leaned back in his chair casually.

"How so?" Rose asked, leaning over the warm tea she was cradling in both hands.

"Just get to travel and have adventures all the time, no need to buy groceries or pay bills… pretty great." He folded his hands behind his head to show his fully relaxed state.

"Never mind the constant danger and death stuff," Rose muttered as she sipped her tea.

"Nah, that's all part of the allure." He grinned. "Damsels in distress, monsters to fight…"

"Guess that's fine and good when you're not always the damsel in distress." Rose set her cup down and leaned back. Jack, suddenly sensing a heart to heart coming, leaned forward to show he was there to listen. "Do you think The Doctor even notices we aren't around right now?"

"It's The Doctor- he seems to be surprised I'm still on board every time he sees me." Jack shrugged and gave a little smile. Rose nodded thoughtfully.

"Big brain like his… get's so lost in his own head." She took another sip of her tea. "Sometimes I worry he's going to forget me out there."

"Oh no," Jack shook his head. "He'd never forget you. If there's one thing I know about The Doc, it's that he's mad about Rose Tyler." He grinned and gave her a little wink and it made her blush a little.

"Don't be daft." She swished her hand through the air as if swatting his words away like a fly. "and don't call him Doc, he hates that."

The Doctor had finished with whatever task he had been working on. He was still whistling as he gathered his tools and put them out of sight. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked deeper into the TARDIS. "One things for sure, I'm still bloody well here! One foot in the grave…" He sang quietly to himself as he casually walked down the hallway.

Just as he was passing the closed door to the kitchen he'd heard Rose and Jack talking. He stopped and took a few steps back to hear Rose telling Jack not to call The Doctor: Doc. The Doctor nodded his head in approval and started walking again.

"You don't think he's capable of love, do you?" Jack's voice carried out into the hallway. The Doctor stopped again and furrowed his brow in concentration.

"What are you on about?" Rose asked very dismissively.

"The Doctor." Jack clarified. At that, The Doctor raised his eyebrows and took a few steps backward until he was in front of the door again. "You two are so cute." Jack laughed.

"Oh get off it," Rose replied. "Of course The Doctor loves! He loves bananas, trouble and being a particular pain in the arse." The Doctor grinned at that.

"And you." Jack pointed out. The Doctor's goofy smile faded into a more serious face as he listened. Rose sighed.

"No," Rose replied. "I'm just here to do the general running around and hand the spanners." The Doctor pursed his lips. "There is a scale of priorities in his head, I know there is. When it comes to saving the world you get shuffled down the scale. Outta sight, outta mind." The Doctor turned and headed back to the control room without a sound.

"That's not how I see it." Jack took on a serious tone. "You told me what he did for you and your Dad, that's the kind of madness that comes from lovesickness. That's not even mentioning all the things I've seen and heard with my own eyes." Rose looked uncomfortably down at her empty teacup.

"Well, you see everything through me coloured glasses I'm sure." Rose laughed but it sounded forced.

"Alright, so maybe I'm a little more in tune with the romantics than you guys!" Jack shrugged. "I love a good love story." Rose laughed and stood up to rinse her empty teacup in the sink.

"Just don't be writing any smutty fiction about us, alright?" Jack laughed and shook his head.

"I make no promises…" He grinned wide as Rose turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"You've already done it, haven't you?" No response. "Beast." She laughed turning away. Then she dried her hand on the tea towel that hung by the sink and made her way to the door.

"I'll let you read it." Jack smiled as he stood from his chair to follow. Rose gave him a smirk before pulling the door open.

"Come on, let's see what your star character is up to."

When they entered the control room the TARDIS was evidently already landing somewhere. The ship shook slightly and it made Rose and Jack stumble. Jack grabbed something sturdy for stability while Rose attempted to rock back and forth until she found her balance. The Doctor was whirling around the controls at his usual pace. A mad dance for a mad scientist. He grinned when he looked up and saw Rose.

"You're going to love this, Rose!" He called out over the familiar wheezing.

"Where are we going?" Rose shouted over the noise.

"I don't know!" The Doctor beamed.

"Then how do you know I'll love it?" She asked, finally reaching the consul and clinging to the edge.

"It's a jungle planet, mostly unexplored though. No contact. Think Earth, 1800 BC give or take." The Doctor explained with a final flourish. The TARDIS made a final harsh jerk before finally stopping. Rose fell forwards, but The Doctor swiftly caught her. "Knocked you off your feet already." He beamed. Rose pulled herself up and dusted herself off casually.

"So why wouldn't we just go to earth, 1800 BC?" Jack asked. The Doctor jumped at his voice as if surprised he was there.

"Well, that wouldn't be any fun would it." He shrugged. "This way we can discover new life!"

"You mean, things not even you've seen before?" Rose asked, excitement beginning to bubble up. The Doctor nodded and smiled. "Well let's go!" She started sprinting for the door.

"Hang on." The Doctor halted her. "According to the monitor, it's nearly forty degrees. You'll want something a little lighter." Rose looked down at her jeans and jumper and nodded. She ran off to change and Jack charged after her.

When they came back, they were both dressed in white. Jack was wearing what appeared to be a cricket outfit with matching hat. He looked sharp and gave a charming smile when The Doctor had to do a double take.

"Like?" He asked.

"Just had a bit of a flashback." The Doctor stared at him for a moment longer than turned away sharply. "Any vegetation on that?"

"What?" Jack asked looking himself over. The Doctor ignored him.

"I warned him it might be a bit overdoing it, but he does love a good fancy-dress," Rose said crossing her arms. She was wearing a very light white blouse tucked into khaki shorts and a large brimmed hat with a big white bow.

"You're one to talk." Jack crossed his arms. "That hat?" Rose stuck her tongue out at him.

"Thought it was cute." She muttered. The Doctor rushed forward and took her hand to guide her towards the door.

"It is." He stated as he pulled her along. Then he stopped and twisted to face her rather abruptly. Rose clung to her massive hat as she stopped herself from bumping into him. "You put sunscreen on?"

"Yes, Mother." Rose rolled her eyes. The Doctor grinned and pushed the doors open.

Outside was a beautifully lush jungle. The foliage was all a startling shade of blue, and the soil beneath their feet was a dark orange. Rose kicked at the ground as if she didn't believe it was real dirt. There were brightly coloured flowers scattered all about in various contrasting colours to the blue. Rose held her hat as she attempted to lean back and look up at the massive trees covered in vines.

"It's like a rain forest!" Rose exclaimed.

"Very much so." The Doctor agreed. His hand still holding hers. He looked down at her. "You like it?"

"Yes!" Rose grinned. "I love it!" The Doctor smiled.

"Come on then."

"Oh, don't worry about me- I'll just carry all the kit and hold my own hand!" Jack called after them as he swung a small rucksack onto his back. "Thanks for making lunch, Jack. When did you ever find the time?" Jack grumbled to himself. "Oh just threw some sandwiches together, no big deal. Being thoughtful and such." He trudged into the jungle after the duo.

_A/N: I haven't written and posted anything in years. Literally, years. I've been sitting on this a while, but with the anniversary just passed, I felt a sudden urge to share. Nine and Co make for a million unexplored adventures and it's a lot of fun to write them. I wish we had more time with them, so for anyone feeling the same this one is dedicated to you! _


	2. Hats & Typical Behaviour

**The Desperate and The Forgotten **

**Chapter Two**

x

The jungle was gorgeous and teaming with life. Strange and amazing plants and animals were around every corner waiting to be discovered. So far, they had stumbled upon a variation of a Venus Fly Trap that appeared to be a delicate blossom until you drew close and then the teeth shot out and the pedals snapped together. They'd also seen what appeared to be a fish, monkey-like creatures. Their hairless bodies and wide eyes repulsed both Rose and Jack so they quickly carried on.

"Look!" The Doctor whispered and drew Rose close. Cheek to cheek, peeking through the heavy leaves, The Doctor pointed his finger at what appeared to be a lizard sitting up on hind legs as if perched like a bird. Its face was very blunt like a snake, but its body was closer to a gecko. Its body was a vivid hue of blue and it had shining wings sprouting from its back, almost holographic as the sun hit them.

The Doctor was smiling in amazement as the lizard creature opened its wings to stretch. The colours glittered and changed in the light. Rose could feel The Doctor's wide smile, and she pulled her cheek from his to examine him clearer. The Doctor was no stranger to touch, he could be affectionate when he wanted to be, but it was very much like a cat. On his terms, and usually without any thought.

Rose studied his appearance and thought of Jack's earlier words. Lovesickness. She pushed them to the back of her mind, The Doctor was The Doctor. He turned his head to look back at her, still smiling like an excited child. Rose felt her heart skip a beat. She cursed Jack for putting any sort of ideas in her head. Looking for things that weren't there.

"AHH!" A horrifying shriek startled the three of them. Jack prepared for a strike while Rose had all but climbed onto The Doctor.

"It was the bird." The Doctor stated calmly pointing at the winged lizard they'd been looking at. Rose felt embarrassed as she gently pulled herself off The Doctor and created a space between them.

"I knew that," Jack said clasping the opening of his jacket in a confident manner. Rose looked at him and rolled her eyes. They carried on forward, Rose opting to trail behind to avoid further embarrassment that the previous closeness had provided.

Without The Doctor holding her hand, Rose had somehow started dragging behind. She was grateful that she was no longer so close to the other two men as she'd gotten more than a little sweaty. Not her best look. Her hat was tilted back to give her sweaty brow some air and it kept catching on branches. Flies akin to horse flies had started to come out. They bit at her skin and she swatted repetitively at the air around her. The Doctor was no longer in sight and Jack's rucksack was getting further and further away.

"Oh, blimey!" Rose groaned as her hat caught again, choking her slightly as it was tied around her chin. She attempted to loosen it. One hand worked on the twig in her hat and the other swatted flies from her bare legs. Once loose she stumbled forward and tripped on a root that lifted from the soil. She sprawled onto the ground with an awkward "oof!"

Climbing back to her feet she suddenly realized she wasn't so sure which direction The Doctor and Jack had gone. She spun around once, then back around the other way, before choosing a direction and walking. The flies continued to annoy. Rose swatted this way and that with both arms like paddles. She hadn't seemed to have noticed she was coming up to a cliff. Her foot stepped into mid-air and she dropped like a stone.

"AHH!" Jack and The Doctor didn't bat an eye, assuming Rose's screams were just another lizard-bird perched nearby.

"Oh, look at that!" The Doctor said in a chipper tone as he passed a flower-eating what appeared to be a rodent of some sort.

"Cool," Jack said as he followed closely, his nose wrinkled in contradiction to her words.

_Just my luck! _Rose thought as she rocketed through the treetops. Massive leaves attempted to cushion her fall while her body ricocheted off branch after branch painfully. She clutched at the leaves to slow herself down and grabbed at the branches to attempt to stop. They broke and they tore and she just kept moving. Just as she began to think she would surely die from the impact, she landed on something massive and spongey.

"Oh!" She cried in surprised as she bounced up and down gently. Looking down it appeared she was on some kind of massive mushroom type plant. There were several scattered around her of varying sizes. "That was lucky," Rose muttered as she ran her hands along limbs to make sure they were all there. "No damage done!" She beamed. "Gonna be sore tomorrow though." She slipped off of the strange plant and attempted to look up the cliff's edge. No chance she'd be going back that way.

Rose began to walk along the edge of the cliff. She called out to The Doctor and to Jack but heard no response. Idly she wondered how they couldn't notice she'd disappeared, but it was so typical at this point that she barely dwelled on it. The hat snagged on another branch and Rose ripped it off in a sudden fit of rage. She slammed it to the ground, but then after a moment decided to retrieve the pale white fabric that made the big bow. It was a long, wide piece of material and she pulled it over her head to protect herself from the sun and the flies. She smiled at herself for being so clever, then stumbled forward to search for a way back up.

—

The jungle was dark and quiet. A small deer sort of creature with the face of a fox and the tail of a rat was eating fruit from a small bush. Silently, a predator approached. Soft crouching footsteps and the light touches of fingers to the soil made no sound. A young man, Naheen, was all but crawling on his belly through the dark shadows. He reached cautiously to his back where his weapon was fixed and drew it forward.

The weapon was like some sort of handgun, only sleek. featureless. He aimed it silently at the creature, and with no visible movement, the weapon fired. No sound, no visual. The creature fell to the ground instantly. Naheen jumped to his feet and raced forward to claim his prize. He hovered over the carcass and closed his eyes for a moment, then he lifted it onto his shoulder.

That's when he heard the crashing. The noise startled him at first, he thought perhaps a larger predator had arrived to claim him. He crouched low to the ground and hid under the darkness of the foliage once more and waited. After only a few moments, just above him up an incline, a figure in white emerged. His eyes widened and the carcass fell from his shoulder. The figure appeared to be glowing, golden wisps of silk-like hair were shining in the sparse sunlight, a white vail framing them like a portrait. Naheen threw himself forward.

Rose gasped as a young man thrust himself out of the brush and onto the jungle floor. She steadied herself as he gazed up at her with wide blue eyes. They weren't just blue, as in the irises, the entire eyeball was a deep cyan blue. He was humanoid, strikingly so. His skin was a dark shade of blue, virtually black speckled with bits of white that made him look like the night sky. His hair was closely cropped, but it was darker still. He wore nothing more than a scrap of fabric around himself.

"H-hello," Rose said cautiously. If the boy looked shocked before he was now struck. He threw himself into a deep bow at her feet. "I'm sorry, I'm a bit lost." She tried again. He didn't answer, but he did caution a glance up at her. "I fell, you see." She pointed up. "Could you help me get back?" Naheen looked thoughtful, then suddenly appeared to be filled with purpose and pride. He jumped to his feet.

"I will help you." He said firmly. "I will take you to Meranen."

"Oh, no-" Rose shook her head. "You see I need to get back, I'm not supposed to be down here." Naheen nodded in understanding.

"Of course. I understand." Rose was skeptical. "Meranen, the high shaman will know what to do." Rose pursed her lips, then looked back to the sky through squinted eyes.

"Guess I don't have much choice." She stepped down to be on the same level. "My name is Rose." She reached out a hand, but he stared at it with shock.

"You… have… a name?" He looked up at her face again. Rose knew she had to be careful with an ancient culture. Any sort of shock could change the course of history for those people. She needed to try to fit in as best she could.

"You… don't?" She tested, pulling her hand back.

"I do, yes. Naheen." He nodded. Rose smiled brightly and without releasing Naheen returned her smile.

"Pleasure to meet you." They began walking. Naheen had slung a carcass over his shoulder and lead the way through the jungle. Rose ran her tongue along her teeth thoughtfully, looking for the right things to ask that could help her stay out of trouble till she found The Doctor and Jack. "Where are we going?" She asked at last.

"Donasses." Naheen stated. He looked back at her. "My village." Rose nodded.

"And it's run by your shaman?" She probed.

"Yes." He paused for a minute. "We had a king many years ago now… but he died. The village was in great despair, but Meranen rescued us. His connection to the Gods has blessed us with many great bounties. He is a wise and powerful man."

"Sounds like." Rose nodded thoughtfully.

—

The Doctor stood high on a cliff face overlooking a vast and dry desert. His face revealed that he was impressed, not realizing that such a thing could be there. The thick jungle behind him stretch on endlessly, he was at the meeting of two bio-zones. A grin plastered on his face as he muttered to himself.

"Fantastic!"

Jack hobbled out of the jungle towards him, zipping his fly up as he walked. He approached The Doctor who didn't bother to look at him. The Captain found himself as equally awestruck by the sudden change in view and vast landscape. He let out a loud whistle and drew his hands to his hips.

"Rose, you've got to see this!" The Doctor called out loudly without turning his head. There was a long amount of silence. Jack turned and scanned the edge of the jungle, then looked back at The Doctor. "Pokey." The Doctor commented quietly. Jack decided to go back in and urge her along.

"Rose?" He called out as he scanned the leafy setting. No Rose in sight, not even the sound of someone stumbling along. "Shit," Jack muttered quietly. "Uh, Doctor?" He called out but The Doctor was already beside him, his hands behind his back thoughtfully. Jack jumped slightly. The Doctor nodded and sighed.

"Always wandering off." He muttered as he began walking back the way they came. Jack rubbed the back of his neck anxiously feeling rather guilty. "Come along then." The Doctor called. "I don't need to rescue two companions today."

They walked for roughly thirty minutes, following their tracks back till they saw where Rose's had deviated. The Doctor crouched and brought a hand to his chin thoughtfully. He looked up at the tree limbs, then down at the roots, then on into the fern-like plants. Then he stood up.

"It appears she had a tangle with the branches in her hat, tripped on this root, got turned around…" He began following the tracks, then stopped abruptly. Jack bumped into him awkwardly.

"Regular Sherlock," Jack smirked. The Doctor ignored him.

"Then she walked right off this cliff." He finished as he approached the edge of the cliff. Jack gulped.

"Oh my god…" He looked down but couldn't see the bottom through the trees. He locked eyes with The Doctor. There was worry there, but he tried to hide it. "ROSE!" Jack yelled loudly but there was no response. "Do you think…?" He asked anxiously.

"Only one way to find out." The Doctor stepped forward. Jack stared at him dumbly, there was no way The Doctor was actually suggesting-

"No-!" Jack thrust his hand out to stop The Doctor but it was too late. The man had literally hurled himself off the edge of a cliff. Jack was horrified, but after a moment he leaned forward and put his hands on his hips. "See, that is exactly the kind of self-destructive bullshit a lovesick man does…" He paused for a minute while he listened. "…Or just a madman with no fear of death."

"Jack!" The faint voice of The Doctor called, causing Jack to race to the edge.

"You survived?!"

"Of course!" The Doctor sounded smug, even from their great distance. "Superior Time Lord biology!" Jack rolled his eyes. "Take a jump. Should be fine."

"Oh yeah, should be," Jack grumbled. He shook out his shoulders and psyched himself up for the jump. A few quick breaths and he stepped off and shot through the trees like a rocket. The spongy mushroom caught his fall and he bounced up into a perfect flip, then landed on his feet next to The Doctor. "Perfect landing!" Jack cried, his arms outstretched like an Olympian. "Talk about luck!"

The Doctor wasn't paying attention to Jack though. He'd already been examining the ground for prints. It was firmer there, nothing to guide them. He huffed in irritation, but then saw a bit of white in the distant. He darted towards it.

"Aha!" The Doctor cried as he thrust the giant brimmed hat into the air victoriously. Jack hurried to his side and they both looked around for further clues.

"Doctor, look!" Jack was a few paces ahead, pointing down a slight hill. The Doctor passed him to where he had been pointing. He knelt down to the ground and touched his fingers to the warm fluid that had pooled there. The fluid touched his tongue and he looked up at Jack swiftly.

"Blood." He confirmed. Jack looked pale. "Not human though." Jack let out a big breath. The Doctor looked around at the ground. There was a lot of rustled dirt and what appeared to be two sets of footprints. The Doctor stood tall. "Looks as if Rose has met the locals."

"Always making friends." Jack sighed.


	3. Prophecies & Prisoners

**The Desperate and the Forgotten **

**Chapter 3**

x

The Village, as Naheen had called it, was much more like an ancient city. Massive stone walls circled a great network of streets and thatch-roofed cottages. Mighty pyramids stood tall in multiple locations, the largest sprouting from the center. All well and good for an ancient civilization like The Doctor had described, only this was an alien planet. Tall pillars of stone were spiked up all over the city with what appeared to be large metal antennas. The pyramids also had a network of metal structuring at their peaks, none so much as the center pyramid.

The metal seemed so foreign as it burst from the ancient shape to create a futuristic castle, Sparkling in the sun. Its walls were smooth and sleek, a sharp contrast to the rough pyramid base below. Rose took a deep breath at the grand scale of the whole thing. Naheen had parked her on the hill and told her to keep her veil over her face. Rose sat quietly wondering how The Doctor would ever find her in such a busy and complicated place.

Looking down at her feet, she kicked at the dirt and tried to think of a plan. Perhaps the shaman could help her. He could use some sort of voodoo magic to locate the TARDIS. Or perhaps he would sentence her to death as some great sacrifice like they did in King Kong. Rose sighed. She resolved to play it by ear, a trick she'd picked up from The Doctor.

Naheen was making his way up the hill with what appeared to be a welcoming party. Or at least that was what Rose was hoping. Following the young, slight man were ten massive burly ones. They appeared to be bringing a litter carriage with them. Four men were holding the carriage while the other six wielded what Rose could only imagine were large sleek guns. She jumped to her feet as they neared, and all eleven men threw themselves to the ground. Rose bit her lip uncomfortably, suddenly getting a picture of what might be happening.

"You honor us with your presence, holy one." One of the burly men said into the dirt.

"Fuck." Rose whispered to herself as she took a nervous step back. The man that had spoke lifted his head from the ground slightly so that his next words could be made clearer.

"We will take you to the temple… please…" He gestured his hand back towards the carriage. Rose stared at it dumbly. She tried to decide if running back to the jungle would be a safer bet. The men climbed to their feet and gently ushered her forward. She didn't fight.

Rose climbed into the carriage and allowed them to take her down into the city. Thoughts raced through her head. Of course, The Doctor had said there had been no contact on this planet, the natives there had probably never seen a human. Rose was essentially a freak of nature, or, if what the guard had said was any indication, some sort of holy figure?

The curtains of the carriage were drawn closed thankfully. Remembering the shock and horror on Naheen's face when he'd seen her, it was probably for the best. Rose bit her nails in an anxious attempt to satiate her nerves. She'd seen enough movies to know this was probably headed in a rough direction. Different was not good, different was terrifying. She had to escape, there would be no relying on a rescue party in this situation.

The welcoming committee traveled easily through the city. There were many curious looks, but no trouble from the citizens. As they neared the center pyramid, instead of climbing up the thousands of stairs there had to have been, the stone wall seemed to slide open. After a few moments, Rose could feel herself being lowered to the ground, but she didn't bother to draw back the curtains.

"Meranen." One of the men said. There was movement, but barely audible. Then suddenly the curtains were drawn back, and a hand from one of the men was thrust forward as an aid for Rose to exit. She did so silently.

The room was dark and massive. Flames lined dark stone walls, and an altar of sorts was just ahead, littered with candles and parchment. Standing in front of the altar was man wearing white robes. The shaman. His eyes were wide as he gazed upon Rose, he opened his arms wide and looked up at the ceiling for a moment before walking down to her in one fluid movement.

"An honor!" He gasped as he lowered himself into a bow. He raised himself up again, slowly. Rose didn't speak. She waited for the situation to play out a little longer before making a decision on the safest move. Meranen opened his arms and inhaled deeply. "It is your will that I serve. Humbly, I have given myself, body and mind to the creators and now, after so many years…" He closed his eyes in satisfaction. "My unwavering faith has been rewarded. I am at your command." He bowed again. Everything was silent. They expected her to speak.

"This is temporary." She said, at last, attempting her best Queen's English. Not that they'd know the difference between her southern British or not, but in her mind, it solidified her commitment to the role. Meranen was already nodding as if everything was made clear.

"Yes of course!" He exclaimed. "The scriptures have prophesied this day for centuries." He ran back to the altar and dug through many scrolls before excitedly grasping at one. He unrolled it and showed it to Rose. There was a simple illustration of a golden woman with her hands together in prayer and a sheer veil over her.

_Convenient._ Rose thought as she tried not to pull a face. Meranen suddenly looked very serious as his solid blue eyes gazed at her.

"Your presence here will provide a great bounty to our crops and our birth rate. Goddess of creation and light. You bless us with all life and we shall thrive greatly the short amount of time that you are with us." He bowed quickly, then leaned in and lowered his voice, but it was still loud enough to be heard by the other men in the room. "I too understand that your joyous presence also signifies the coming of great evil." Rose tried to remain stone-faced. "You've blessed me with such sight. I have seen the visions of what is to come, read the scriptures and understood their meanings. Your physical form will attract the demons who will come to claim you." Looking around Rose could see the men looked a little frightened at the Shaman's words. "They will attempt to look like Gods, but we will know. They will not glow of the same light, and we must ward ourselves against them. We will keep your physical form safe until you may rise again to the skies that birthed you to us." Rose gulped.

—

The tracks combined with the light trail of blood had been a very helpful aid for The Doctor and Jack. They followed pretty easily through the jungle. Jack had since abandoned the smart cricket jacket and jumper leaving the white shirt with little question marks on the collar and matching suspenders. He lifted his hat to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"Doctor, you said this planet hadn't received first contact yet?"

"That's right." The Doctor replied, still focused on Rose's clumsy tracks.

"If this ancient species comes across something alien… history has shown that doesn't normally go well." Jack guarded himself against a branch that The Doctor had carelessly released back at him. "I don't think it would be wise for us to just go barging into the village and asking questions."

"They teach you that at the Time Agent Academy?" The Doctor asked.

"Well… yeah." The Captain shrugged with a smile. "Don't want to risk changing the future of an entire planet."

"There were many visits from aliens to Earth in ancient times. Didn't seem to affect you too badly, did it?" Jack didn't respond. "And anyway, that looks like it's the least of our problems." As they stepped out of the jungle and into the open air, The Doctor thrust his finger forward to show the city that Rose had seen earlier.

"Oh shit…" Jack whispered as he took in the grand pyramids and metal additions. "Thought you said this was early species?"

"I did."

"So your readings were wrong?"

"Somethings gone wrong." The Doctor raised a hand to his mouth thoughtfully. His brow furrowed in concentration. "This shouldn't be like this…" He whispered to himself. He turned his face to Jack who in turn straightened himself up. "You're right, best we stay under the radar here."

"Should we use the TARDIS to track Rose and just travel to wherever she is?" Jack asked helpfully but The Doctor shook his head.

"Too risky." He replied simply. He turned back and looked at the city. "We'll have to get creative." The Doctor began trotting down the hill towards unguarded gates.

"Do you have a plan?" Jack hissed as he followed.

"You know me!" The Doctor grinned but didn't look back.

"Yeah, just fly from the seat of our pants then." Jack groaned as he hastily followed. "It's a charmed life."

The Doctor slid up to the wall and pressed his back flat against it. Jack mimicked his movements quietly. They slunk along the wall like cat burglars until they reached thick vines that sprawled all the way up. The Doctor gave Jack a quick glance before starting to climb. The good Captain did as he should and followed, but all the while wondering how climbing up the wall would pay off once they reached the top.

The wall had to have been about twenty feet tall, but the climb didn't seem to bother The Doctor and Jack wasn't about to show it was bothering him either. When they'd finally reached the top, The Doctor poked his head over the side to survey the area. They were overlooking a sort of back alley, the main street was two rows of houses over and bustling with life. Jack appeared at his side and peeked over the wall as well.

"Vines don't go down the other side." Jack pointed out.

"Would defeat the purpose of the wall." The Doctor replied, still observing the people. They wore mostly earthy tones of reds but the amount of clothing was very limited. Likely due to the hot nature of the climate. "Disguise might be a bit tricky."

"At least they appear to be humanoid." Jack pointed out. "Crack out the body paint?" He teased but The Doctor didn't react. "They must have brought Rose in, wouldn't they do the same to us?" The Doctor turned and looked at Jack, then a grin spread across his face.

"Good enough! Let's go meet the locals." He chirped before sliding down the vine like a fire pole. Jack shrugged and followed.

Once on the ground the two casually strode over to the main entrance and pushed the doors open. The main drag was alive with movement. Merchants and shoppers, people having conversations, children running around laughing, it was a charming scene. At first, no one had seemed to notice their entrance. A child ran giddily out of the crowd, chased by his older sister. He stopped the second his eyes landed on the fully clothed forms of Jack and The Doctor.

The child let out a terrified scream and turned back to run into the crowd once more. The girl stood frozen with fear, and the streets suddenly fell silent as the grave. All eyes on them. Jack gulped awkwardly. The Doctor put on his best smiled and raised a palm up.

"Hello!" He said in his cheery voice. It seemed to fall flat to the ground as unblinking solid blue eyeballs stared. The Doctor wasn't easily put off, he decided to take a shot. "Looking for a friend actually." He began. He took a step forward and the crowd gasped and lurched back in fear.

"Doctor…" Jack whispered.

"Maybe this tall, blonde." He held a hand out to show her height and gestured to his head for the hair. No one spoke.

"Psst, Doctor." Jack tried again. Rolling his eyes The Doctor turned his head sharply to Jack. "You don't think that might be a problem do you?" The Doctor followed Jack's eyes to the nearest merchant stand where they were selling candles and trinkets with what one could assume were various deities. Most were golden men, strong and impressive in poses of action. The one that had caught The Captain's eye, however, was a golden woman, hands held in prayer with a white veil over her. "I'm guessing blonde hair isn't too common around here." He added. The Doctor nodded silently, his face serious and focused.

Emerging from the frozen crowd was a team of large burly men with guns. They pushed past the terrified people and took aim at the two aliens before them. Both The Doctor and Jack put their hands up as a symbol of submission.

"Take me to your leader." The Doctor smiled once more.

—

Soft white curtains billowed gently in the light breeze. Rose had been taken to a massive room where she had been left alone to meditate as she had asked. The words of the Shaman had troubled her, she needed to be alone to finally let go of the emotions she'd been holding back. Keeping a straight face had been stressful, she allowed the frustration and anxiety to control her expressions as she dropped her face into her hands. What was it that caused her to fall into troubling situations? Was it bad luck or just in her nature as a human. Surely, The Doctor would be happy to give her an answer... if she ever saw him again, that is.

The room was virtually empty. The ceiling was at least twenty feet into the air, the windows or rather the openings to a balcony were just as high and lined the side of the immense room. The white curtains protected from the sun and swayed quietly with the breeze. The walls were covered in bright murals, and a small pond stood in the middle of the floor between Rose and what she assumed was to be her bed. More tall curtains framed a mass of pillows and cushions.

Rose stepped towards the pond and looked down. Perhaps it was actually meant to be a bath, as there were no fish. Water flowed steadily into it from an unseen source. Rose walked away from the pool and towards the balcony. She thrust one of the curtains to the side aggressively as she passed through it. The balcony was fairly big, and the view of the city and jungle were spectacular. She also noted a massive sprawling dessert to her right. She wasn't interested though, she quickly moved to the edge to see her chances of escape. The height was dizzying. She stumbled back.

"Great." She muttered. She turned and headed back inside, thrusting the curtain away as she had before. The pillows looked inviting, so Rose sat down and crossed her legs as if she really had been meditating. If anything, if someone came in she was playing her part. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine a plan of escape.

Surely, if Jack and the Doctor would try to come for her they would be stopped by Meranen's men. She was sure they'd take them for the demons he'd mentioned, an awfully annoying coincidence... Or just maybe they'd think they were Gods too? Hard to say. One thing was for sure though, she couldn't rely on them to come to her rescue. She would just have to take her chances at walking out. Surely no one would question a God. Just then, the door creaked and the small face of a woman poked in. Then the rest of her followed.

_Good. _Rose thought. One thing she was good at, making friends. Often times, no matter the species or year, Rose was able to connect with another young woman no problem. This time, however, she was posing as a God. Would they be as chummy? She had to be careful.

The girl sank to her knees on the far side of the pool and lowered herself into a deep bow. Rose just stared at her. What was she doing? The thought occurred to her that she was waiting to be addressed. Rose closed her eyes and tried to focus. What would someone super powerful say?

"You may rise," Rose said with fake confidence. She felt utterly stupid and foolish and knew if there really were Gods they'd be laughing at her.

"Thank you, your holiness." The girl said in a tiny voice. "I am here to bathe and anoint you."

"Oh, I can do that myself," Rose said quickly, forgetting herself. The girl looked startled. Then Rose realized her mistake and cleared her throat. "That is to say- it is not necessary." She clarified in her Queen's English. The girl's eyes were wide.

"I don't mean to contradict, all-powerful giver of life and light-" The girls sped out anxiously. "but if you are not properly cared for, and the anointing ritual is not done, I shall be punished."

"Punished?" Rose furrowed her brow. "By who?" The girl looked around anxiously but didn't respond. Rose pursed her lips, she needed to fit in. Her clothes weren't exactly like the ones the girl had on. She decided it would be safer for both of them if she gave in. "Very well." Rose stood up and took a few steps forward. The girl scurried as fast as she could to her side.

She began to undress Rose in clear professionalism, but the intimacy of it made her feel anxious. Freshly naked, Rose stepped into the surprisingly warm bath. The girl immediately went to work soaping her up. Rose tried to pretend she was at a spa to make herself feel at ease, but the whole experience was awkward and uncomfortable. The girl stopped as she ran the suds through Rose's golden locks.

"Something wrong?" Rose asked nervously.

"I-I have never seen more beautiful hair." The girl confessed shyly. "Golden silk…" Rose smiled to herself, if only the girl knew. "I have truly been blessed with the chance to get to touch something so incredibly important." The girl whispered. Rose didn't say anything. It was painful to think she was duping all these innocent faith-driven people.

"Has a God ever come to you before?" She asked carefully. The girl laughed.

"Of course not." She answered. "That is why we are all so excited you are here!"

"All?"

"Oh, forgive me." The girl raised a hand to her mouth. "Word has already traveled quickly through the village." She looked around anxiously. "I may have participated in that gossip… you must punish me."

"What?" Rose turned. "No. No punishing." She patted the girl's arm and smiled. "I love a good bit of gossip anyway." She gave the girl a wink, and she looked a little startled by it but then giggled shyly.

"I did not expect that from a God." She said smiling. Rose smiled back.

"I'm not a regular God, I'm a cool God." Both girls laughed. Rose was beginning to feel pretty good about her chances, if she was able to bond with the girl perhaps she could escape. "What's your name?"

"Beldas." She answered while making soapy circles on Rose's back. Rose turned to look at her seriously.

"Can I confide in you, Beldas?" The girl looked shocked.

"Yes, of course! Anything for the God of light and life." The girl bowed again, rushed and awkwardly. "I am honored!"

"I need to get out of here," Rose said quietly. "I'm not meant to be here, there's been a mistake and I need to get back. Do you know how I might do that?" The girl bit her lip anxiously, then quickly went back to scrubbing.

"I know this world can be crude and unGodly, I am sorry for that... the Shaman will get you back." She said quickly, her eyes darting around. "It is all in the prophecy." Rose frowned and sunk deeper into the water. Well, there went that plan.

—

Deep under ground, below one of the various pyramids of the city, The Doctor and Jack sat in an underground room. It was nearly pitch black aside from a few candles. Jack was pacing back and forth, The Doctor sat calmly on the floor. His legs were crossed and he drew lazy circles in the dirt.

"If they find out Rose isn't what they think she is…" Jack rambled as he moved back and forth.

"The second they see her eat, the cat'll be out of the bag." The Doctor said, not really paying attention.

"So what's the plan? How do we save her?"

"Working on it." The Doctor muttered as he continued to draw circles in the dirt. Jack frowned and slunk down against the wall until he hit the floor.

"Could have used one of those sandwiches now." He mused as he thought about the rucksack that had been confiscated. The Doctor made no comment. His brow was furrowed in concentration. Jack looked over at the door, it was metal with a complex locking mechanism. Something far too advanced for their civilization. "Someone must have given them all this stuff," Jack said quietly. "The guns, the tech… If I had to guess I'd say we aren't the only aliens here." The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Which means it's likely they'll know Rose isn't a God… but how could there be another alien going unnoticed? We caused such a fuss."

"They're camouflaged." The Doctor answered and then rose to his feet. "The weapons, I recognize them."

"You do?" Jack asked, impressed. "Of course you do." He said noting The Doctor's smile. He couldn't help but smile back. "So is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Well, bad really." The Doctor shrugged. "I mean, they've brought all sorts of technology to a race that shouldn't have any. That's no good."

"Good or bad for Rose, Doctor."

"Ah." The Doctor nodded. "Bad probably. Most likely." He glided towards the door and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "They're bound to know exactly what she is…" He began working on the lock. "If they've been stranded here, they may think they've found their way home." Something inside the door snapped, and the door swung open with a creek.

"No guards..." Jack whispered curiously as he examined the long, dark and empty hallway. Then he turned to face The Doctor. "Why didn't you do that right away?" He asked as The Doctor brushed past him.

"Needed time to think it all out."

"Think what out? You have a plan?" Jack asked as he hurriedly followed The Doctor.

"Sure," The Doctor replied. "Save Rose."


	4. Party Crashing & Expensive Shackles

**The Desperate and The Forgotten**

**Chapter 4**

**x**

Alone in her room once more, Rose had made quick work of inspecting every corner. There were no secret doors or hidden clues anywhere. She was dressed in a sort of Princess Leia gold bikini knock off. The cloth was white and hung scantily to the floor from her hips in the front and the back. Gold chains adorned with sparkling diamonds connected them and clung to her bare hips. Her top was just a simple strip of what fabric that had been tied tightly in the back. Her hair was pulled back in a variation of the French braid that started at her forehead on either side and met in the back then joined in something that looked more like a fishtail braid with bits pulled out here and there.

Bare feet padded along softly as Rose gathered the courage to exit her room. Who was to say she couldn't leave? If she was a God wouldn't she be the boss? She pushed the door open. No one was there. Perfect. She walked down along the quiet hallway. Murals and tapestries decorated the hallway and she admired them as she passed. Many of them contained golden figures doing various acts of heroism and strength. She paused when she got to one that she'd thought was meant to be her. The Goddess was planting seeds.

"Couldn't she be doing something a little more action oriented?" Rose grumbled. She walked on.

Another hallway, more murals, more tapestries, no people. Rose sighed, she hadn't even seen a door yet. She came across several paintings of what she could only assume were previous rulers. All kings. Rose wondered why they hadn't replaced him with another King. Why the Shaman? Was there no bloodline? Rose carried on further and discovered, at last, a large wooden door. She pushed it open quietly and peeked inside.

It appeared to be the king's chambers. Similar to hers in size and shape, but with a lot more character and furniture. Dust covered sculptures and cushions left behind by the previous ruler who had died so many years ago. It was curious that the Shaman hadn't taken up residence there since he'd taken the throne. She decided to step in and have a look around.

Rose made her way into the room and towards some scrolls that had been left out on a dusty old table. Nothing exciting, just maps and policies and other boring things. Looking further, Rose discovered a crudely bound book with a blank cover wedged under some cushions. She had only seen the corner of it, but it was enough to catch her eye. She hauled it out and flipped through the pages.

"The King's Diary." She whispered to herself with faint amusement. Her mind wandered back to her own diary, dust-covered under her bed and away from her mother's prying eyes. Certainly, the King would have more interesting subject matter than boys, mischief and the true identity of the Estate's infamous prank knocker. She flipped through the pages and skimmed bits and pieces.

_The weather was fine, the people are happy._ Boring entries like that filled most of the pages, but more towards the end, things started to get interesting. _A monk arrived today. He'd been traveling the far off desert on his own in search of spirituality. He claims he has made a connection with the Gods, he speaks their will. He brought with him gifts from the Gods themselves. He claims they will make life easier for us. I am wary. _

Rose flipped the pages till something else caught her eye. _The people have demanded. They are enamored with the monk. His words inspire them, the gifts he claims came from the Gods have truly made things better... But at what cost? Our village fills more and more with the shiny slick materials he brings and all the while the people forget themselves. They forget their ways. They walk blindly wherever he commands... I do not trust him but the King must never question the will of the Gods._

Rose flipped to the final entry. _Meranen has revealed his true face. He has made his intentions clear. He is not like us. I shall not be of this world long. He needs full control, he needs absolute power for his plan to work. I am the only one who sees, we will all burn to ashes if he is to succeed. I must stop him. _Rose closed the book and felt cold. Things were definitely going a bit pear-shaped. She had clearly stumbled into something much bigger than she'd initially thought. Meranen was up to something, and Rose was either a hindrance or an aide to his evil plans. Neither option was particularly appetizing. Either way, Rose decided she had to escape and warn The Doctor. Meranen had made it clear that anyone coming for her would die, it seemed such an oddly convenient add-on to the prophecy at the time, but now she could see why. They didn't need any more outsiders running around complicating things. Rose had to be the one to turn things around, there was a chance that she could use her Godly status to win the people over and revolt against him. She hurriedly shoved the diary under the pillow where she'd found it, and ran back into the hallway. She shut the door tight and made to run back to her room.

"Oh."

Rose stopped dead where she was. She'd been caught. She turned slowly and faced Meranen who was clearly on his way to her chambers. Talk about convenient! Not a guard in sight for hours but at the moment she needed to sneak the most, there he was. How would she possibly explain herself? She decided not to speak. Let him make the first move.

"Inquisitive." He said as he crossed his arms. The look on his face seemed a little too confident. "Not really an expected trait for a God, is it?" The jig was up. It was no surprise to Rose that he knew she wasn't a God, but the complete change in personality was jarring all the same.

"You killed the King." She stated. Meranen slowly closed the gap between them, causing the hair on the back of Rose's neck to stand on end.

"What a thing to say." He responded with mock shock. "But false, I'm afraid." He smiled. Then circled around her slowly. "He's gone yes, but not by my hand. He was a clever man for such a new civilization. So perceptive. Saw right through me..."

"And what's it he saw?" Rose asked confidently. Meranen smiled.

"Same thing I see in you." He linked arms with her and they walked back to her room. "You see, these people are very primitive. Gods are their bread and butter. God brings the sun, God brings the rain. God brings life, God brings death. Blind faith like this can be so refreshing, don't you think?" He smiled at her in a charming way. "Must remind you a little of your planet." Rose didn't respond. He'd answered two of her questions with that. One, he knew about Earth and humans. Two, he must also be an alien too.

"You control them through their religion, that's sick." Rose spat. "Those poor people, their faith is unwavering… no matter how suspect."

"I know." He grinned like the cat that ate the canary.

"Why are you doing this? You get off on having power?" Meranen scoffed at her. "...Or you're enslaving them to do your bidding for something?" She tried to study his face. "What is it?"

"Doesn't really matter." He said as they drew nearer to her door. "Not to you anyway." He pushed the door open and they stepped inside. Rose ripped her arm away and took a few steps back.

"If you think I'll play into the whole God charade so you can reinvigorate the power hold you have on these people, you're wrong!"

"Well, I do need you to play along." He walked casually over to a nearby pillar and leaned on it. "Talk has already gotten out about you. The people will just be _dying_ to see you. You'll provide an excellent distraction while reaffirming their beliefs and therefore, make them more obedient workers…" he paused for a moment to give her a sly look. "Oh, and one more thing you might find interesting. As expected, the rest of your crew has come looking for you." Rose felt her heart skip a beat.

"What have you done to them?" She demanded. "If you hurt them-!" Meranen just laughed and waved a dismissive hand.

"I was actually thinking I'd let you do the honors."

"What are you planning?" Rose's eyes narrowed as he pulled himself from the pillar and approached her again. His arms crossed. "I'm not like your congregation, I won't just hurt my mates because you asked me to."

"Don't be so sure of yourself." He grinned and leaned in. "I just need you to be a quiet and obedient God. That alright?" He asked politely.

"No!" Rose spat.

"So much fire." He laughed. "I really don't need your permission though." He thrust forward with lightning sharp speed and produced something that he had hidden up his sleeve. Rose didn't have the time to react. Something stabbed her sharply in the neck.

"Argh!" Rose cried and pushed him off. It was too late. She fell to the floor and began to convulse. Meranen stood over her with dark eyes. He watched as she slowly stopped convulsing. Her eyes were vacant and a trickle of drool escaped her lips and pooled onto the floor. The fake Shaman crouched down and cleared the hair away from her face. He tutted quietly and shook his head.

"Shame it had to be like this..." He sighed. "As far as humans go, you are a lovely specimen."

—

The streets of the city were bustling once again. Citizens chattered excitedly about the goings on of the day. The Doctor and Jack had emerged from the base of the pyramid with a lot more tact then they'd previously shown. They ducked quietly out of sight and into an abandoned alley. Jack kept watch as The Doctor broke into a nearby home. They crept in silently and closed the door before they were ever seen.

Inside was a simple hut. A sort of kitchen and a place to sleep. That's really all that needed to be in a home after all. Jack lifted a dish from the table and sniffed it before placing it back down hastily. They crept towards the front door where they could hear voices.

"It will be a massive celebration! They say all the important people are going to catch a glimpse of her." One of the voices said.

"I heard her hair is made of actual gold." The other responded. "Do you think we'll get a chance to see her?" The Doctor and Jacked exchanged looks.

"Maybe…" The first one answered dreamily.

"My cousin, Randaharnep is going as one of the dancers. He says they're going to do their nardahaw dance. He had to run off to practice after lunch, made me stitch up a tear in his costume."

"So lucky." The first voice sighed. "I should have gone into entertainment."

The Doctor signalled to Jack to check out the trunk. The Captain crawled over carefully and sorted through the clothing. There wasn't much in the way of coverage. It was clear the people of that planet like to show skin, which normally Jack would never be against. Then suddenly he found a strange mask. It looked almost exactly like a giant version of the lizard-bird they'd seen in the jungle, it was resting on a massive black cloak and folded up wings. Jack held the mask up and showed it to The Doctor. He gave him a thumbs up then signed for Jack to head for the back door. They snuck out without another word.

"Let's find those performers." The Doctor said quietly as he popped the snakehead over his own. "With any luck, we can snag a second outfit and sneak in with them, as for now," He gracefully put on the large black cloak and began buttoning it up. Then he turned to Jack and lifted up the bottom of the garment from the ground. "Get in me undercarriage."

"You know, I always dreamed you'd say that to me."

—

The sky was still fully alight by the time the celebration kicked off. The main pyramid was alive citizens flocking to it, desperate to catch the slightest glimpse of the God that had finally come to bless them. Middle and lower-class villagers waited eagerly outside the base while all of the most important people had exited litter carriers and entered the pyramid's base. The main event was to take place in the grand receiving room, and grand it was. It was large enough to hold hundreds of people, and sat at the near heart of the pyramid. The room was mostly dark, with candles all around to give a warm, nightlike glow. Excited guests danced and chattered with one another all throughout. The general dress code was a lot of skin, as expected, but also jewelry upon jewelry. Everyone was glittering.

Entertainment in the form of costumed dancers and ribbon twirlers were scattered about the room. Massive masked heads bopped along to the music that played loudly. Long black gowns with holographic wings swayed to the beat and delighted the patrons.

At the head of the room, a sprawling set of stairs led to an almost stage-like platform where the King would have sat to hear the complaints of his people. Meranen stepped out into the light to lead the prayer for the celebration of life and light… the working title he had gone with not a few hours earlier. He raised his hands to silence the room. Everyone stopped speaking, the music continued to pulse. It was a strange sort of music. A combination between futuristic techno beats and something ethereal, ancient and lovely. It droned on in the background as Meranen spoke and the dancers danced.

"People!" He called out. "Today, our prayers have been answered." He paused to allow excitement from the crowd. "Today a miracle has occurred. Something prophesied for hundreds of years! The greatest gift of all: the God of life and light has come down to us from the spirit world to bless our soil and our women with fruitfulness." More excitement. "Let us gift her with the highest of honors and celebrate her blessing of presence." A cheer rang out and the music began to pump loudly.

When the shaman moved, a light display was activated and revealed the figure of a woman kneeling on a cushion. Her hands were held in prayer and her body was covered with a veil creating a lump-like shape from a distance. The people gasped and clapped at the sight of her. Awed by her apparent glow. Two dancers in lizard bird costumes had not noticed the tonal shift of the room and continued to dance awkwardly and out of time at the back of the room. One performing the Macarena with extra sass and the other doing the monkey.

The crowd seemed to have parted slightly, revealing the distant glowing figure at the other end of the room. The bird that had been doing the monkey slowed to a stop and pulled off its head suddenly. The Doctor revealed himself. His eyes were filled with a serious sadness, locked on the figure everyone seemed to be toasting to. He pushed his way through the crowd numbly, not caring what kind of fuss he was stirring. Jack, still in his costume quickly halted his moves to follow at a safe distance.

The music pulsed but the talking began to fade out as people noticed The Doctor's presence. Ribbon twirlers ahead whipped and tossed their ribbons in a beautiful display, but each one faltered in turn as The Doctor passed them by. He ripped the bird costume from his body and tossed it to the ground as he grew closer to the mock stage. Guards sprang out from the sides of the room and charged forward. They crouched before the stairs blocking him for advancing further.

"Rose!" He called out above the music that was pounding its techno-spiritual beat into his hears. He could barely see into the glowing veil, but two eyes flew open and locked on his. It was her. "Rose!" He repeated her name with a smile and jutted forward, but was halted by the weapons that raised at his movement. He suddenly realized that Rose remained immobile and his smile disappeared quickly. "What have you done to her?" He shouted as the shaman stepped back out into the light. He appeared to look horrified, a clever act.

"Fear not!" He raised his hands to the crowd. "Did I not warn that the demons would come for her? Did I not warn that they would attempt to deceive us with their appearance, but they would not have the golden glow of the true Gods?" The crowd broke into quiet murmurs. "A single demon is no match for the power of the Gods."

Jack chose that moment to break forward from the crowd and remove his bird head. No longer concerned with anonymity due to the rage and need to protect that he felt for his friends. He tossed it to the ground shocking the people around him, then he stepped forward to stand beside The Doctor and ripped away the strange bird robes.

"Best if you just let her go, pal." Jack threatened. "We know you're not a local either." For a split second, there was an anxiousness to the Shaman's eyes, but it was gone so fast it wouldn't have registered to the crowd.

"Horror." He called out. "Those from the underworld wish to rob us of our life and light. They want to destroy the Gods and bring darkness and terror to our lives… in their desperation, they forgot that the Gods are all powerful. Perhaps they need a demonstration." He turned to face Rose and the crowd fell silent.

"Whifferdill." The Doctor boomed confidently. It caused the Shaman to freeze. He turned slowly to face The Doctor. The silence was painful. The Doctor's face carried a glimpse of 'gotcha'. The Shaman turned away quickly.

The music suddenly came roaring back to life and pounded on the eardrums to generate excitement, all attention was on Rose. She began to rise slowly onto her legs with a grace that didn't come naturally to the shop girl. Her hands were still held in prayer as she reached her full height and the veil slid to the floor. The crowd gasped at the site of her. Rose was dressed in the same outfit as before, only now she was covered head to toe in gold and diamond-like jewels. Her bare feet lead to bangle covered ankles. Her bare thighs were showered in diamonds that hung from her hips. Upon her shoulders draping down her torso and arms were chains of gold, glittering with more gem stones. Her wrists and fingers were again covered in bangles, and her hair was still in the braids, only now wisps of golden hair trickled down here and there with diamonds woven all through it. A crown of golden spikes emerged from her head in a sort of Lady Liberty look. Most appallingly however, was the massive piece of solid gold stretching from her collar bones up to her nose, it wrapped completely around her neck like a dicky and formed to her skin like it was part of her. She looked every bit opulent and divine, but all The Doctor could see was a shackled slave.

"Oh, Rose…" The Doctor breathed apologetically. His face twisted in a tortured expression. Rose stepped forward slowly and confidently. Her posture perfectly poised, her arms raised slightly with palms to the skies. Each movement jingled as she made her way forwards.

"Woah…" Jack expressed quietly. "That's not even Rose anymore…" He brought a hand to cover his mouth as he gaped anxiously. "What have you done to her?" He demanded suddenly, echoing the words of The Doctor before, the rage making his voice a little shaky. Rose began her decent down the stairs. The Doctor made to jump forward to embrace her, but he heard the weapons as they locked on him. He stood frozen, watery eyes locked on Rose's vacant ones.

"Rose, Can you hear me?" He pleaded softly. Her eyes were wide and lifeless. She stared ahead at him, but she was looking right through him. "I'm so sorry." She didn't hear him. "Forgetful old fool, me." He tried to force a laugh but it made him choke back a sob. He swallowed it down as Rose stopped, only a few steps in front of him. He looked furiously at Meranen. "You've made a massive mistake." He warned in a dangerous tone. "I will save her, and then I'll turn you to dust." The Shaman didn't respond, the look had often stunned people into silence. He very nearly believed The Doctor could do it.

"What's the matter with her, Doctor?" Jack hissed at his side.

"Old fashioned mind control." The Doctor stated roughly. "Rose is just a puppet right now. A husk, void of all life and thought. Completely at his will."

"You bastard!" Jack hollered and made to jump forward. "If you laid a hand to her-!" He couldn't bring himself to finish the threat, his mind reeling at the thought of someone doing something to Rose without her consent. She was just a kid. The crowd, who had been further back and not fully comprehending or hearing the full story, backed away further still at the rage emanating from the demons.

At that moment, Rose lifted her arms into the sky in a slow fluid movement. Jack froze and gripped the leather clad arm of The Doctor before they both disintegrated. The crowd cheered loudly, the music long since drowned out. All that remained of Jack and The Doctor was a few burnt particles, drifting to the floor. Rose slowly dropped her hands to her sides. From her wide, unseeing eyes a single tear emerged and rolled down her cheek and onto the gold plating that bound her lips.


	5. Kings & Queens

**Desperate The Forgotten**  
**Chapter 5**

**X**

The desert was a cruel and endless wasteland. There was no water, no shade, and no food. Not even a lonely cactus. Just a long dry cracky bit of earth stretching for miles and miles. It was a death sentence.

That was where The Doctor and Jack had been teleported.

Jack screamed angrily into the hot sandy wind that wiped his face unforgivingly. The Doctor stood motionless, still staring ahead as if he was still looking at Rose. Jack kicked the dirt in frustration and then stopped to gather his composure. All was not lost. He took a deep breath and looked back at The Doctor. His eyes softened. He knew, despite what Rose had thought, that The Doctor didn't hold anything in higher priority than her. It was killing him that he'd allowed this to happen to her. Allowed someone to take complete control of her body in that way. He set his own anger aside.

"Hey," Jack said softly reaching out. "We'll get her back." The Doctor shook off the friendly hand from his shoulder and jutted forward.

"Of course we'll get her back." He spat. "-But what's happened here today cannot be forgotten." His fists clenched as he stared angrily into the dirt. "They dressed her up like a little doll. Paraded her out to be cheered at. A mindless toy. Only somewhere inside she'll know what they've done… how they took away her consent and her dignity. She'll brush it off like she always does... but there will be damage there... and I'm to blame..." He ranted as he trudged away. Jack followed him.

"She'll forgive you." Jack promised as he reached out again to stop the angry Time Lord from walking aimlessly into the desert. "It's all part of the job. She knows the risks." The Doctor scoffed at that. "I'm sure she would rather have you save her from the clutches of evil a hundred times than stay stuck in that shop for the rest of her life." The Doctor's face softened. He looked out into the distance thoughtfully.

"What's that?" He said suddenly pointing at a dark shape in the distance. Jack squinted at it.

"Rocks?" He offered.

"Come on!" The Doctor began running towards it.

"But, shouldn't we just use the sonic screwdriver to reverse the teleportation? Y'know, like we did with Blon?" The Doctor wasn't listening. He was running full tilt. "Guess that would just put us right back into the full crowd anyway… didn't exactly make a great plan last time." Jack sighed and charged after him.

As they drew closer, the massive shape turned out to be a cave, emerging with an open mouth from the ground. Without a second thought, The Doctor ran inside. Jack surveyed the surrounding area. Nothing for miles and miles. He entered the cave.

"Helloooo!" The Doctor called out, and his voice echoed over and over. "Wow, deep." He nodded with a smile. "Hello?" He hollered again.

"Who are you planning on running into out here?" Jack asked.

"Enemies of the Shaman likely. It was him, not really Rose, that banished us here. I imagine he's done the same to others."

"We're in the middle of a lifeless desert. No one could survive out here." Jack pointed out but The Doctor waved him off.

"Hello?" A voice echoed back, different from The Doctor's.

"What's that you were saying?" The Doctor beamed his usual smug grin. Then turned back to the gaping darkness. "Yes, Hello in there! I'm The Doctor, this is Captain Jack, we're here to help."

"Help?" The darkness called back. It sounded closer.

"That's right." The Doctor replied. A form emerged from the darkness, a frail and elderly man with a long black beard. He was hunched over and looked as if he might blow away in the breeze.

"There's no help for me, young man." He sighed as he made his way closer to the two men. The Doctor smiled all the same. "Meranen send you?" He didn't seem at all surprised by the lightness of their skin or the strangeness of their eyes.

"Sort of." The Doctor replied.

"He stole our friend, brainwashed her, then banished us here." Jack clarified much to The Doctor's discomfort. The old man nodded as if it was expected.

"He is an evil man." He stated as he made his way over to a bolder to rest his bones. "He will stop at nothing to find his way back home."

"Home?" Jack asked.

"Xenon." The Doctor answered. "The shaman is a Whifferdill, a shapeshifter." Jack looked at him curiously. "One of my companions was a Whifferdill… a long time ago…" Jack nodded. "Why did he send you here?" The Doctor asked, crouching down to respect the height difference. The old man wheezed and leaned back.

"I am King Belmarleth." He paused. "Thirty years ago… give or take… Meranen came to my city. Claimed to be a monk in touch with the very Gods. We embraced him, he brought gifts and advancements to our simple lives." He paused and furrowed his brow in irritation. "I knew he couldn't be trusted from the start. Beware strangers bearing gifts." The Doctor nodded his agreement. "I discovered that he was truly a creature of another world and that he was attempting desperately to get back to it. He needed to install his… technology all over the city to send out a signal for help. At the time, I had attempted to thwart so many advancements to our simple village. It's been twenty years since I've been here. I'm scared to imagine what he might have created in my absence."

"But he's still there… surely he realizes no one is coming." Jack said, also crouched with one knee in the dirt and the other supporting his arm.

"We're a long way from Xenon." The Doctor stated. "My best guess is that he probably got pulled into a wormhole and didn't even realize. They're active for such a short amount of time… but they can do a lot of damage. His ship was likely destroyed when it passed through, then plummeted to the closest planet."

"So what's his game now?" Jack asked.

"He's probably been so desperate for so long. Maybe he'd given up… but then another alien appears. He decided to take advantage of the situation. Use the tools he has to get rid of us while making a big distraction so he can steal our ship." The Doctor explained.

"He couldn't fly the TARDIS."

"He doesn't know that." The Doctor shook his head, then tapped his finger thoughtfully against his lips while he thought. "His whole racket has been to manipulate via the strong religious faith this species has. Explaining alien tech as gifts from God…" The King nodded. "The technology clearly coming from his wrecked ship… but how did so much of it spread to what's there now?"

"The metals came from the soil." The King answered with a shrug. "Early days he had asked me about our gold and silver. I was skeptical of him, I thought he meant to steal it. Turned out he needed it for the things 'The Gods' were asking him to make for them."

"He was some kind of engineer?" Jack stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Guess he'd have to be…" The Doctor mused, he looked uncertain.

"We uncovered a large deposit of iron below the desert floor… It was almost as if he knew exactly where it would be… That's what we built the castle out of." The King sighed. "That's what he called that big metal monstrosity sitting on top of our Grand Pyramid."

"The antennas were likely what he used to send out the signal… but as time passed he realized he needed a plan B." Jack said. The Doctor smiled.

"The castle!" He exclaimed. "It wasn't just a mass deposit of iron, it was his space ship! He's been repairing it!"

"Can he do that?!" Jack asked in disbelief.

"He's had thirty years to try, anyway." The Doctor jumped to his feet. "So maybe it isn't the TARDIS he wants. Maybe it's just her parts!" He began to pace with his hands clasped tightly behind his back. "With us out of the way, and Rose…" He paused suddenly looking very distraught, he shook it away quickly. "-Well anyway, he'd be able to find the TARDIS, strip her for the parts he needs and then finally be able to take off!"

"But why this whole elaborate story about us being demons and Rose being put on display?" Jack asked, now standing and ready for action.

"Not sure… an explanation for our presence? Seemed everyone knew about Rose just hours after her arrival…" The Doctor answered. Then The King stood up, his eyes wide.

"The prophecy!" He pointed a shaky finger at The Doctor. "You say, your friend has been taken for our fertility God?" The Doctor nodded. "She is the only God among the seven who is caring and sympathetic to the mortal race. It was said that in time, she would come to us and bare us great bounty."

"We got that from Meranen." Jack said.

"While in the mortal realm, she takes a physical form so she may walk among us." The King cleared his throat. "She will need to be sent back, it is said she will call on the mortals to help. To return the favor." Jack clasped a hand to his forehead in disbelief.

"You're not suggesting that Meranen is going to tell them all he will physically fly her back to heaven in his space ship?" The King nodded in response but The Doctor didn't seem to be completely convinced. His brow furrowed as the cogs turned inside.

"My people are a very simple sort…" He shrugged. "Faith is all we have. They'll believe whatever Meranen says, especially now with a God by his side."

"Religion was basically created as an answer to all the questions that ever cropped up before people started developing the abilities to answer them for themselves." The Doctor added. "But there are always the self-educated non-believers that seem to spur progress along." He smiled at the king.

"There is a time and a place for faith. Without it, what do we have to look forward to? What gives us meaning and purpose? What keeps us in line? What gives us hope?" The King hobbled along to look outside the cave at the bright sky above. "There must be a balance."

"So," Jack said after a long silence. "He's going to ask the people to help him put the finishing touches on his ship so he can sail Rose off to heaven." It was a statement. He slumped down on the rock that the King had occupied earlier. "How do we stop him?" The Doctor spun around to look at him, renewed purpose in his eyes.

"First-" He started confidently. "We're going to rescue Rose." He began to walk towards the mouth of the cave. Jack sprang up and followed. "Second, we're going to expose Meranen." The Doctor burst out into the sunlight and continued walking at a fast pace. Jack linked arms with the King to help usher him along faster. "And third-" He spun around to look at them. "We put the rightful King back on the throne." He grinned.

"Oh, but…" The King sputtered. "I am just a frail old man… I couldn't possibly lead those people now." The Doctor waved his hand dismissively. \

"Nonsense." He stated. "I've seen Kings a lot older than you. We'll sort out this Whifferdill business and you'll have plenty of time to sort out what happens next." The King tried to get out his objection but The Doctor was on the move again.

"You didn't have kids or anything? A wife?" Jack asked him gently. The King looked sadly at the ground.

"Just babes when I was banished. Likely grown men now but… Gods know what Meranen has done with them." He looked off at the retreating shape of The Doctor. "My poor wife, Lendalell. We suffered so much… The boys she said had been a gift from the God of life and light herself. We had such struggles conceiving you know…" Jack nodded in response. "She asked Meranen to speak to the Gods and bring her a son… we were blessed with two. At our ages? Two boys? It really was a miracle. My faith was completely renewed… that was until the accident." He paused for a moment. "My poor wife… Her faculties left her I'm afraid. She'd apparently slipped and struck her head, after that it was as if the cart was moving, but there was no driver at the reigns." Jack frowned.

"Sounds like more of that old fashioned mind control." He said roughly. The King looked up at him thoughtfully, then brought his eyes down to the sand to focus his thoughts.

"I always suspected foul play…" He muttered. "The boys had started to show signs of gifted intelligence. Lendalell was afraid, it was too much too soon. She'd began to wonder if it was truly the Gods or the Demons that brought us our boys. She began openly questioning Meranen, I wondered if he perhaps silenced her by taking her mind away... of course, at the time it seemed impossible, my advisors convinced me of that. I still wondered though..." He was quiet again as he thought. "I imagine our children were sent away to live with villagers in anonymity after I left… or worse..." Jack nodded sadly.

"Right then." The Doctor called from some distance away, his wrist poised in the air as he looked at his watch. "Enough times probably passed, should be able to put us right back into the empty receiving room." Jack and the King slowly made their way to stand beside him. "When we arrive, we'll have to split up. I need you to take the King somewhere safe, then I want you to try and locate the engine room. Do whatever you need to do to stop that ship from taking off."He paused and looked up to confirm that Jack had understood him. "I'm going to find Rose and hopefully reverse what's been done to her." He looked a little anxious. The King stretched out his hand and touched The Doctors arm.

"She will most likely be in the west wing. I can point you in the right direction." The Doctor nodded at his words gratefully. He looked back at his sonic screwdriver for a moment, and then they all de-materialized from the desert.

When they materialized again, the three men were standing in the massively empty and dark throne room. Only a few hours ago the scene had been full of sights and sounds, now it was as solum as a tomb. They all looked around quickly to gather their bearings. They made their way towards the entrance of the room quietly. Once at the large opened doors they peeked out into the hallway. The King pointed a boney hand down the hall.

"Go that way, there will be a staircase to your left." He whispered quietly. "Take it till you reach the seventh floor. She will be in one of those rooms." The Doctor nodded and ran off quickly.

"Where can I take you that's safe?" Jack whispered with a charming smile. The King thrust his pointer finger down the opposite direction.

"Better go that way." He responded. "Nowhere will be safe, but if I had to pick somewhere it might as well be the cold storage." He gave Jack a smile, the first. "Haven't eaten in years."

"The Doctor flew up the stairs, two at a time. His gangly legs and superior biology making short work of the climb. His eyes kept darting up as he went around and around the spiral-like staircase. Fourth floor, fifth floor. They flew by as the eagerness to find Rose grew. Sixth floor… seventh! He burst through the open doorway and into a hallway filled with magnificent tapestries and murals. There would be no time to admire them now.

The artwork flew by in one big blur as he searched for a door, any door. They seemed to be rather scarce. The first one he came across he nearly passed. He took a couple of steps back and quietly touched his hand to the door. He pushed it open slowly and peeked into the darkness. The last thing he needed was to walk into someone else's bedroom, or worst case, Meranen's bedroom.

The curtains had been drawn, dark heavy ones that made the room seem like night. The Doctor briefly wondered if the sun ever set on the planet. It seemed that the day went on forever. A bit of light crept in as the wind attempted to move the heavy material. The Doctor could see that the room had not really been in use for some time. It was heavily decorated with fine tapestries and sculptures covered in a thick layer of dust. Pillows and ornate furniture filled the room. There was a feminine touch to be sure.

The Doctor walked slowly around the room, admiring every detail. One tapestry pictured two babies, identical twins. They sat naked and smiling at each other with a bright sun overhead. The golden Goddess for which Rose impersonated hung over the sun with her arms out like a great blessing. The Doctor carried on. There was another tapestry containing a couple, hands together, bound by a cloth. The King and Queen on their wedding day. The Doctor looked around, realizing he must be in the Queen's room.

His eyes squinted as he scanned the room carefully. Near the back of the room, delicate curtains surrounded a mass collection of pillows. He stepped towards it, then realized with a slight shock, that someone was sitting there! Legs Crossed and eyes closed as if in meditation. Much like the King, they appeared to be frail and elderly. What once must have been dark blue flesh had gone a bit softer in colour but the hair was still black. Just as the Kings had been. The Doctor stepped forward and pulled the curtain back. He reached a very gentle hand out slowly to touch the shoulder of the woman. How long had she been there like that?

As fingers touched flesh, he noted with the mild surprise the warmth there. His face turned sharply to meet hers as eyelids flew wide open to reveal unseeing eyes. The Doctor pulled back. The Queen was still alive! But unfortunately, like Rose, she had been robbed of her mind. Nothing but a shell. Left in that room to be forgotten, out of the way and out of everyone's hair. The Doctor crouched down to be at her level.

"Hello." He said gently. "I'm The Doctor, I'm here to help." She didn't respond, he knew that she wouldn't. "I've found your husband… The King, he's still alive and well." He smiled at her, then pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "What Meranen has done to you is horrible… he's done the same to my friend…" He looked up slightly from his task. "My best mate." He clarified, then refocused on the screwdriver. "Should be a way for me to reverse the control he has. Likely, he's implanted something just under the skin. This-" He held the sonic screwdriver up impressively. "Should be able to scramble the frequency and fry the circuits. Your brain will no longer be suppressed and you'll be able to be you again." He smiled and raised his hands to inspect the Queen's neck carefully. "Pardon me," He offered politely. "There you are." He muttered as he felt a slight bump just under the skin.

Raising the sonic to her neck, it emitted a buzzing sound for a few moments, then The Doctor pulled it away. He waited a few moments, staring intensely into the wide blue eyes. Seconds felt like years, it had to work… just had to. Then suddenly- she blinked. The Doctor's mouth spread into a wide grin. She blinked again, then several times.

"uh-" The Queen uttered a little noise that spooked herself at the sound of it.

"It's alright." The Doctor took her hand gently. "Take your time." The Queen slowly looked down at their hands. She wiggled her fingers experimentally. Then her arms. Careful and slow at first. The Doctor released her hands and took a few steps back. The Queen pulled her legs out from under herself and observed her toes. They wiggled slightly. The Doctor let out a little laugh. "Been a long time." He commented. Her eyes looked up at him with great astonishment.

"Y-you… you saved me." She said shakily. Her old voice crackling a little. She reached up to her mouth as if she hardly believed it was her own. "I…" She looked sad. "I sound so old…"

"Yes." The Doctor agreed. She looked back at him, suddenly a little afraid.

"Are you… a God?" She asked, a slight tremor to her voice. The Doctor laughed and shook his head.

"No." He smiled. "Just a traveler. A long way from home." The Queen nodded. There was silence for a moment longer. "Where are my children?" She asked. "Where is my husband?" The Doctor shifted uncomfortably.

"I honestly don't know where your children are… but your husband is here. We rescued him from isolation in the desert." The Queen's eyes began to glisten with tears. "I'm sorry this has happened to you." He said softly. "We'll try to set it right." He crouched down once again. "My friend had the same thing that's happened to you happen to her. I need to find her, she's in one of these rooms… do you have any idea which one by chance?" The Queen shook her head apologetically.

"I'm afraid I don't…" She looked towards the window. "But there are only a few rooms on this floor. The Kings room is next to this one, there's an adjoining door you see." She gestured to the wall at the back of the room. "If you go out on to the balcony you can get to the other rooms balconies." The Doctor stood up and headed to the window. "But take great care! The height is dizzying… if you were to fall…"

"I won't." The Doctor looked back and smiled. "You stay in here and keep quiet. I'll come back for you." The Queen nodded. The Doctor pushed through the heavy curtains and into the blinding sunlight. He squinted at first as his eyes adjusted, then headed to the left of the balcony. Looking down, he could see that not only was he seven stories high, but that was seven stories on top of a massive pyramid. The ground was barely even visible. He didn't dwell on it. He examined the large stone divider that acted as a visual block to the other balcony. Peeking around he could see there was another room there.

Without a second thought, The Doctor climbed up onto the ledge and used the divider to balance himself. It would be a bit of a stretch, but he could make it to the other side. He swung his leg across and didn't dare to look down. His arms embraced the thick stone of the divider and he took a breath before swinging his other leg across. Then he pushed himself backward with great effort till he fell back into the balcony.

"Piece of cake!" He grinned to himself.

The room was quiet inside. The curtains billowed softly in the breeze as they'd done before. The soft trickling of the bath water flowing was the only sound. The Doctor breezed in through the curtains like a vision. His eyes scanned the room briefly as the curtains danced around him gently. Then he saw her.

"Rose!" He cried as he rushed to her. Like the Queen, she was sitting cross-legged on her pillows. She was still wearing the exact outfit he'd seen her in before. The gold bondage still covering her mouth. She looked straight ahead, eyes wide. The Doctor crouched down and embraced her tightly. She was rigid and lifeless. "Oh, Rose." He said quietly. "I'm so sorry." He pulled back and looked into her heavily done up eyes. His arms rested firmly on her shoulders. "I keep doing this to you. Putting you in danger. It's selfish and wrong." He looked frustrated. "Thing is, I can't stand the thought of taking you home." He raised a hand gently to stroke a wisp of hair from her face. "It might actually kill me." He made an anxious laugh as a tear began to build in his eye. "You know I'm an old fool, I need you to keep me in line." The tear trickled down his cheek but he ignored it, he let out another anxious laugh and looked up at the ceiling. "Truth be told, I brought you here because I heard what you said earlier about being forgotten… I thought if I took you somewhere I didn't know much about it might make you happy... I don't want you to ever feel like I don't care about you..." He took a deep breath. "I'm not good at this sort of thing, with the words and emotions… Not sure if I ever was, but I'm certainly not now. Bit of damaged goods, me." He shrugged then fell silent for a moment. "I'd do anything for you." He said quietly. Then he cleared his throat and readjusted his shoulders. "Course, I can tell you all this now because you won't remember it." He laughed again, another tear. "You know me." He shrugged.

The Doctor dug into his pocket and retrieved the sonic screwdriver and showed it to her as if she could understand what she was seeing. Then he looked at her neck, completely encased in solid gold. The Doctor frowned, Meranen wasn't taking a chance. He must have prepared for the possibility that they'd know how to stop the mind control. He placed the sonic on the floor and began feeling around the back and sides of the collar looking for a way to pry it open. There was a seam at the back… it had been soldered together.

"Sick." The Doctor spat grumpily. "They never planned to feed you again?" He took a deep breath to hold back his rage. He grabbed his sonic and crawled onto the pillows and around Rose. He plunked himself down just behind her and kicked his legs out on either side of her body. He sighed and stuck the screwdriver between his teeth. He gently put a hand on her back and her stomach and carefully leaned her forward just a tad. Then he placed his hands just as carefully on her neck and tilted her head down. "May sting a little." He warned.

After fidgeting a moment with the sonic screwdriver he held it to the soldered area. A bright light emanated from its tip and began to slice into the soft metal. He worked carefully to avoid burning Rose's flesh. Once he'd worked all the way through it, he cut through again a little ways over so it would be easier to pry away. He tossed the cut piece behind him and began pulling at both ends until the space was wide enough to slip away.

"Ah." The Doctor groaned sympathetically as he examined the burns on the back of Rose's neck. When they soldered that thing together they clearly hadn't thought it would burn her- or didn't care. The Doctor pushed back his anger again and switched up the settings on his screwdriver. He held it to Rose's neck until the skin was repaired. "It slices, it dices…" The Doctor smiled as he admired his clever tool. He changed the settings again for the next step, then he set it between his teeth again as his hands ran along the soft skin of Rose's neck.

Upon feeling the familiar lump he kept his finger on it and retrieved the screwdriver from his teeth. He pointed it at her flesh and it hummed for a moment or two. He lowered it slowly and waited. Nothing happened at first, but then her body softened. She craned her neck back up to observe her surroundings.

"That prick!" She muttered, causing The Doctor to grin silently behind her. Rose turned her head this way and that as if stretching it out, then she reached her hands up to stretch out further. That's when she noticed large black boots poking out on either side of her. She lowered her arms slowly and curiously reached out to rest a hand on each leg. "Doctor?" She asked quietly.

The Doctor leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her in a great big hug. At First, she tensed in surprise, but then her body softened and her hands raised to rest on his arms. The Doctor brought his head forward and she leaned back into him.

"Found you." He said quietly into her ear. She closed her eyes and they just sat like that. Simple and innocent.

"Thought you were dead," Rose whispered at last. The Doctor didn't move. His head resting partly on his arm and partly on her neck. "You and Jack… I vaporized you." The Doctor lifted his head slowly and released his hold on her. Rose turned her body to face him. He looked pretty wrecked. Must have been a hard day.

"That's not possible." He stated. "Your brain was completely suppressed by the chip. There's no way you would have had any sort of consciousness through that experience."

"But I did." She responded defiantly. "It was like walking through a dream, you know? There's no control, you're just there for the ride and everything looks real misty."

"Incredible." The Doctor said shaking his head. Rose leaned forward and squeezed him into a tight hug, surprising him.

"Thanks for coming for me." She said quietly into his jacket. The Doctor relaxed and patted her head.

"Every time." He promised. Rose pulled herself away and climbed to her feet shakily. The chains and jewels made all sorts of racket as she moved.

"What's all this then?" She tugged at the gold chains draped over her shoulders. The Doctor laughed and made to stand.

"Guess you don't remember everything. That's your God costume." He said Taking one of the chains in his own hand to inspect it.

"Bit much- innit?" She crinkled her nose and looked up at The Doctor. He shrugged and dropped the chain from his hand.

"Oh, I don't know," He stepped away and headed towards the door. "Not a bad looking sight really…" He looked back at her over his shoulder to see her blush. "Considering." He made sure to say, causing the blush to be replaced with annoyance. He gave her a cheeky smile and thrust his hand out. "Come on- Lot's to do!"

Down in the cold cellar, it was dark and musty. They were deep inside the pyramid with nothing but a candle to give them light. Jack looked over the room as the King took massive bites from a loaf of bread. His face a picture of happy and satisfied. They'd come straight down, but nothing of interest was found on the way. Jack folded his arms and leaned heavily on one hip.

"How did you survive all those years without food?" he asked curiously.

"We do not eat to survive." The King spoke with a loaded mouth. "Eating is just a form of pleasure." He took another big bite. "Is it not the same for your kind?"

"Oh, we eat purely for pleasure in most cases," Jack laughed. "But we also need to eat to stay function. Food, water and air are our fuels." The King nodded with interest.

"Alright, let's get back to business." Jack clapped his hands together. "The first half of the task down. Now I need to figure out how to stop this ship from taking off." The King stared up at him as if waiting to be told what to do next. "Do you recall a large room with a lot of technology in it? Maybe central or near the base of the castle?" The King looked down as he tried searching through his memories.

"I believe so... yes..." He said slowly as if pulling up the memory like an old search engine. "I can take you there." He said with confidence. Jack pursed his lips and wondered if that defeated the purpose of taking the King to a safe place.

"I'd rather you stay safe..." He began but the King held up his hand to cut him off.

"Young man, if I can't assist in putting a stop to Meranen then what good am I as ruler of this land?" He puffed his chest out to give the appearance of strength, and Jack found himself smiling at his courage.

"Well come on then, we better get there." Jack crouched down. "This is going to require some speed, so I'll have to carry you." The King nodded and climbed onto The Captain's back.

* * *

A/N: Sorry anyone who tried to read this earlier and it was all garbled. Hopefully, it's all good now. Big thanks to those who let me know!


	6. Black Sheep & Revelations

**The Desperate & The Forgotten**

**Chapter 6**

**X**

"-And so people!" Meranen stood on a wooden platform in what appeared to be the village square. He addressed a large crowd with his arms up in exaggeration. "We know that the Goddess of life and light will not be with us long, and she will need our help to bring her back to the spirit world." The crowd below murmured and nodded in acceptance of the madness being spewed to them. "We must do our part to honour her, and send her back to the world above!" He pointed his hands up to the sky and the crowd cheered. "You all know what needs to be done." He leaned forward as if spilling a secret. "The Goddess has blessed me with the sight of a plan, a plan for a grand carriage!"

"We must build this carriage!" A rowdy member of the audience cried out. Others cheered the agreement.

"But how?" A familiar voice from the crowd rang out. It was the young hunter, Naheen, that had first discovered Rose.

Upon handing her over to the guards, Naheen had felt a little uneasy about the whole transaction. Rose didn't really seem like an all-powerful God… she just seemed like a pretty average girl. If that was the case handing her over could have been a death sentence. It hadn't panned out that way, and he tried to convince himself that she was a God, just as he often tried to convince himself that he fit in. Maybe Gods were just pretty casual people. Certainly, her appearance was unquestionably God like. No one had such white skin! It was completely impossible. The lightest anyone got was when they had too many freckles.

Still, the young man could not shake the doubt. He'd always been fairly skeptical of the Gods. Growing up, his brother and he had lived such a tortured life. Raised in the slums with barely any food, parents that mistreated them as if they were mangey dogs, forced to work hard labour at an early age. How could a God see that and let it happen?

People often said that the Gods were cruel and looked on the mortal race with disdain. Like mortals were basically screwing everything up so they'd just let bad things happen. There always seemed to be an answer to everything. It also struck him pretty coincidental that one of the only God's that seemed to take pity on mortals was the one he came across. Maybe that was a point for the believers… but he wasn't convinced.

"There is a gift…" Meranen began to answer the question. "Deep in the jungle, the Gods have sent the answers to us. Every man, woman, and child must go out and search for this foreign object and bring it to the castle." He looked around at all the faces that hung on his words. "It is the key to returning her safely."

"And what does the key do?" Naheen's voice rose above the rest once again. Meranen looked at him for a moment before answering.

"It will provide the solution that returns the Goddess." The crowd nodded in and mumbled all around. Naheen wasn't convinced. He looked back into the crowd and made eye contact with his brother who was leaned up against a hut wall. His eyes crossed, body language conveying that he wasn't buying it either. He locked eyes with Naheen and nodded, then he disappeared into an alley.

"Let's find the key!" Someone shouted and the crowd roared with excitement.

"Yes! The quicker the better!" Meranen shouted spurring the crowd further.

The crowd moved away from the square, heading in the direction of the main gates with much celebration. Naheen slipped off into the alley and began to jog quietly to his house. His brother was already inside waiting. He sat on the floor next to the hearth and fiddled with something in his hand. Naheen sat next to him.

"Nahalo," The brother looked up and they locked eyes. "What do you make of it?" The brother shrugged and tinkered again with something metal in his hands.

"He's up to something." He said quietly. "I can't say what it is, but I know that man is evil. He controls the people like a herd of brainless tompensey." Naheen nodded.

"I am becoming more and more convinced that the woman is not a God…" He said quieter still, looking around. Nahalo looked around too.

"But what of her skin… her hair?" He asked. "What other explanation do we have?" Naheen shook his head.

"I know… It doesn't make sense but…" He paused and wondered if he should really say his thoughts out loud. "It doesn't feel right. We've never fully believed in the myth and hype of the Gods, I thought stumbling across her was my destiny. I thought the Gods chose me because I was a disbeliever... now I feel foolish. I feel as though I've eaten something bitter and fowl and I'm trying to convince myself it's tasty because everyone around me is enjoying it." He paused and took in a deep breath. "What if she's just from somewhere far away?" Nahalo looked into the lifeless ashes of the fireplace thoughtfully.

"You think there are other people out there? Different people?"

"Sure." Naheen explained. "Maybe that's where the idea of Gods came from. Maybe long ago someone saw one and just got confused." He leaned in closer. "I mean, think off all the animals there are in the jungle. The variations of flendor alone!" Nahalo nodded, accepting the information as it seeped into his brain.

"There was talk of two more with pale skin." He said locking eyes again with his brother again. "Meranen said they were demons…"

"I heard the story... It only brings me more doubt. I don't recall any prophecies about demons hunting a God."

"Well, perhaps you are right. Maybe sometimes the hair can be different colours on their species. Like some flendor have blue spikes, while others have purple." Nahalo set down the metal device in his hand and felt for the silent and sleek gun he'd carried on his back. A variation of the weapons other villagers used. The brother's had refined the technology so that it would be more stealthy for hunting. "If you are right, attacking their kind could spur a war. What if their people come looking for them?"

"We need to get into that castle." Naheen decided, somehow reading his brother's mind. He reached to ensure his own weapon was still there. They both stood up in unison. "We need to find out what's really going on. If she is from another trie we should free her."

—

Jingle-jangle, jingle-jangle…

The Doctor and Rose snuck quietly through the halls of the castle. One floor higher than the floor they'd previously occupied. Rose's costume had proven to be horrible for stealthy detective work. Luckily, it seemed like no one was around. In fact, it seemed like no one was ever around. Where were all the staff? The guards? Meranen must have felt very confident. Or just a serious lack of staff he could trust.

"What are we looking for?" Rose whispered as she tip-toed behind The Doctor. He looked back at her and ran his eyes down her form.

"Why are you tip-toeing when you sound like a parade float?" He asked looking back up at her face. Rose frowned and crossed her arms.

"I'd have taken it off but it's all attached!" She pulled at the chains to show that some were connected to the crown and others connected to her wrists and her fingers. "It's a bleedin' mess!" She said in frustration.

"Just try not to get snagged on anything." The Doctor said as he turned away.

"You don't have a plan do you?" Rose asked, but The Doctor didn't respond. "Typical." She grumbled.

"We're looking for the wheelhouse." The Doctor explained as he reached a door.

"A wheelhouse?" Rose furrowed her brow. "Are you daft?"

"Usually." The door lead to a small closet. He closed it and moved on. "The castle is a ship."

"Knew he was an alien!" She smacked her fist into her hand victoriously.

"Well done you."

"I did a bit of snooping before I went under." She gestured to her neck but The Doctor wasn't looking. "Found the Kings diary, he'd suspected Meranen all along. Tried to stop him so he had him offed."

"Close." The Doctor jumped in. "Same thing that happened to Jack and I. Just teleported away." Rose nodded.

"So then?"

"We found him, brought him back." He looked at Rose and smiled. "Found the Queen too. Been a pretty good day!" He looked ahead and tried another door. "Which reminds me, we need to go back for her on our way down." The door swung open. "Aha!" He cried as a control panel and helm had been revealed to him. He charged in and set to work immediately at the controls.

"What if Meranen finds us in here?" Rose asked looking back out the doorway, then closing the door gently.

"He's out rallying the troops to look for the TARDIS." The Doctor typed furiously at the keyboard in front of him. All sorts of numbers and letters appeared and moved rapidly.

"What do they want with the TARDIS?"

"Parts." Rose nodded. "He would have taken off by now if he'd had everything he needed to make this operational but…" The Doctor paused as he took in the information on the screen. "Yeah, here you see?" He pointed to the screen but it was nonsense to Rose. The Doctor went on anyway. "He needs a few different things here… standard kit mostly, damaged in the crash. Could easily find these things on the TARDIS if he knows where to look." He stood up. "He won't though."

"So no worries then?" Rose asked as she followed The Doctor with her eyes.

"Well, a little worry." The Doctor said as he accessed a panel in the ceiling and pulled down some wiring. "He's still going to try." He took out his sonic screwdriver and began messing about in the wires. "and something else here isn't quite right..." He squinted at the screen thoughtfully. "Awfully big ship..." he muttered quietly to himself.

"So he has everyone from the village out looking for the TARDIS?" Rose said, not fully hearing the last bit. "Could they bring it back here?"

"They could have, but I put the locks on." He tapped his forehead cheekily and gave her a wink. Rose rolled her eyes.

"I guess after it's been lifted on you so many times…" Rose muttered quietly to herself and spun the pilots chair around lazily. The Doctor didn't seem to hear. A few sparks flied from the panel he was working in and he backed off excitedly. The monitors went dead and the lights in the control panel faded. "What did you do?" Asked Rose.

"Just a bit of jiggery pokery." He beamed. "No one flying out of here any time soon." He grabbed Rose's hand and he pulled her out into the hallway.

—

Somewhere deep inside the castle, Jack was out of breath and out of patience. They old King had seemed to have forgotten where the engine room was located, in fact, he seemed to have forgotten what part of the castle they were in at all. Jack slid him off his back and looked around wearily.

"I'm starting to think we've gone further into the pyramid instead of up into the castle." He frowned at the lack of windows. The King looked bashfully at his tired old hands.

"Perhaps my memory isn't what it used to be." He sighed.

"Well, let's hope you gave The Doctor the right directions." Jack examined the walls. There were paintings there, he couldn't really make them out. The King followed his gaze.

"These are the ancient murals of my ancestors." He clarified. "Many great Kings reigned before me… I seemed to have brought the whole dynasty down." Jack turned around.

"No more downer talk." The Captain said firmly. "We haven't lost yet." He pulled one of the flamed torches from the wall and continued through the darkness, down the hallway. No detail would escape his sight, there had to be something to give them a hint to where they were. "Aha!" Jack said at last, the glimmer of a shiny metallic door caught his attention from the ceiling. "Bet no one noticed that in the dark before." He smirked, the reached for the handle and pulled it down. A ladder tumbled out and made contact with the floor. "Up we go, your highness!"

The King climbed up the ladder slowly, and Jack followed him patiently. Electric lights flickered on as they entered the room. Technology was littered all around in a sloppy fashion. Lights blinked and a computer screen came to life.

"What is this place?" The King asked in wonder.

"Looks like it might be the operating room for the engines. These computers would be where the engineers and maintenance staff would do their daily upkeep stuff. Looks like someone has been using it to sleep in though..." Jack's words were lost on the King, but one thing caught his attention.

"Staff, you say?" The King ran a hand thoughtfully through his beard. "Meranen was alone… How could he have operated such a thing himself?" Jack whipped around with surprise.

"Good call!" He exclaimed. "This ship is massive. It requires a whole team of people to operate… which means:"

"He wasn't alone." A voice from behind startled the two men.

"Who's there?" Jack whipped around to look at every angle.

"You really shouldn't be in here." The voice came again. Jack rushed forward to where he thought the sound was coming from.

"Show yourself." He commanded. A red light flashed brightly onto his face, it got bright and brighter. Jack turned to look at it, then suddenly the bulb began to grow! It was changing, turning into…

"Meranen!" The King gasped and clutched his heart.

"Sort of." Meranen shrugged. "We take turns."

"So the gangs all here." Jack clarified as he locked an impressive eye on the phoney Shaman.

"It did seem like he was everywhere…" The King muttered as he rattled his head back and forth in disbelief. Jack didn't look back at him, he kept his eyes focused.

"Where's Rose?" He demanded.

"With the other one." He waved his hand around to show it was of no concern to him. "He may have successfully disengaged her brain dampener chip, but it hardly matters now. None of you will leave here alive." He pulled out a weapon from the sleeve of his robe and pointed it at Jack. "Now," He smiled. "Turn around, and head back the way you came."

—

The brothers had managed to infiltrate the pyramid with ease. With every villager and guard on the hunt for the key, no one was around to stop them from walking right in. Still, they decided to sneak quietly, in case there were any Meranen had kept around. The hallways were dark, but Nahalo produce a small object from his pocket that produced a beam of light at the click of a button.

"You can't help yourself, can you?" Naheen said shaking his head at the little device.

"Came in handy." The brother shrugged. "All our inventions do. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Remember what I told you about being careful?"

"Doesn't seem of much consequence now."

The boys wandered deeper and deeper along the dark halls. A few torches were placed here and there along the way but none truly lighting the path as well as their makeshift flashlight. The sound of clanking metal froze them in place. Nahalo quickly shut off his light and pocketed it. The quickly clung to the wall and listened.

"There's no way you'll get away with this." Jack's voice echoed down the empty hallway. "The Doctor will stop you." The boys looked at each other then back towards the voices.

"I wouldn't count on it." Replied the voice of Meranen. The boys looked at each other again with wide eyes.

The King had just climbed down the final rung, and Jack stood by him. Meranen, still pointed his gun at them made his own decent. Suddenly, the lights above them went out. Meranen jerked his head up in shock, the surrounding torchlight revealing him.

"Like I said," Jack crossed his arms with a smirk. Meranen jumped the rest of the way down and jabbed his gun into Jack's neck.

"This changes nothing." He growled.

The brothers edged forward cautiously until the reached a corner. It seemed as though the voices were coming from just around it. Naheen risked a glance to confirm. He pulled back and gave Nahalo a look, he raised three fingers to signify three people. Nahalo nodded and they clasped hands and touched foreheads. Naheen reached back and pulled out his weapon. Carefully, he crouched to the ground and peeked his head around the corner again. He carefully took aim… then fired!

The shot hit Meranen right in the skull. A silent but lethal hit. The gun dropped from his hand as his body crumpled to the ground. The King gasped in utter shock, and Jack jumped back. He looked around frantically for the shooter. Naheen had already pulled himself back and took a few breaths to steady himself.

"Who's there?" Jack asked, his hands raised in submission. "Please don't shoot, we're here to help." The brothers looked at each other and nodded. Jack watched as two identical young men stepped out from the darkness and into the torchlight. The one held a smooth sort of pistol in his hand, the murder weapon. Jack eyed it, his hands still up. "Thanks for that." He motioned his eyes to the floor. The brothers nodded.

"We came for answers." One of the boys said.

"Meranen sent all the villagers to look in the jungle for some sort of key that will bring the God back to the spirit world." The other said.

"We don't believe in it." The first said again.

"You the only ones?" Jack asked, as he lowered his hands slowly. The boys nodded.

"The villagers are a simple people…" The first brother said.

"We are not like most." The other finished.

"I can see that." Jack nodded approvingly. "What are your names?"

"Naheen."

"Nahalo."

"Good to meet you boys." Jack smiled. "I'm Captain Jack Harkness, this here-" He tossed his thumb over his shoulder to the King behind him. "Is King Belmarleth. Maybe you've heard of him?" The brothers' eyes grew wide and the hurled themselves into a bow.

"Rise, rise." The King said as he moved forward to help them up with the little strength he had.

"How is this possible?" Nahalo asked as he touched the Kings hand in adoration.

"We thought you died long ago!" Naheen stated, touching the King's other hand. The King nodded weakly. His eyes shut, a small smile played on his lips.

"A comfort to know I haven't been forgotten… even by the next generation." He sighed.

"You are a great and noble King. Our people do not forget their Kings." Naheen's kind words warmed Jack's heart, but he didn't have time for the sentimental stuff.

"Let's take this on the road shall we?" He said. "That was only one of many Meranen's running around here. We need to find The Doctor and stop them from finding our ship."

"What do you mean by this?" Nahalo asked, confused.

"I'll explain on the way. Come on!"


	7. Hostages & Reunions

**The Desperate & The Forgotten  
Chapter 7  
x**

The Doctor and Rose were running hand and hand along the bland grey hallway from the wheelhouse. Rose's chains jangled aggressively as they ran, she paid them no mind. They had to get to the Queen and meet up with Jack before Meranen discovered what they were up to. The damage The Doctor had done to the ship could be repaired with time, they'd need to confront Meranen and rally the citizens and end this once and for all. If Meranen was successful he'd burn up the village with the exhaust from the takeoff. That said, The Doctor was fairly confident he'd never get into the TARDIS and never get his hands on the parts he needed. Fairly.

"Not so fast!" Meranen swung out from the opening of the stairwell. He held a gun in his hand and held it firmly against the neck of the Queen. The Doctor halted sharply, and Rose bumped into him clumsily as she attempted her own stop.

"Let her go." The Doctor said flatly. "There isn't need for any of this."

"You know, I just can't decide if your entrance on this tiny little planet is a blessing or a curse." Meranen smiled darkly. "At first I thought it was a blessing. Seeing a dumb little human stumble in from the jungle was an absolutely perfect setup. I could strip your ship for parts and get the hell out off this rock all while you and the citizens kept each other busy." The Doctor eyed the gun that dug into the weak skin of the elderly woman. She looked more angry than frightened.

"The half-baked plan of a desperate man." The Doctor pointed out.

"Careful who you're calling dumb, mate," Rose warned angrily. "It's pretty stupid to just assume our ship has the parts you need, or that we'd follow your plan, or -Christ!" She threw her hands up into the air in exaggeration. "Not giving a thought to just ASKING for a lift instead of doing all this shady business." Meranen sneered.

"There would not be enough room." The voice was Meranen's but it came from behind. The Doctor and Rose swung there heads around to see another Meranen. He was pointing a gun at them.

"There's two of you?" Rose asked looking back and forth.

"Fifty-seven." The first Meranen answered. Rose crinkled her nose in confusion.

"Alright so, it might have been a tight squeeze but our ships bigger than it looks," Rose said holding her hands up in defense against the gun that was held on her. "Did you know about this?" Rose hissed at The Doctor over her shoulder. They were now back to back. Rose keeping an eye on the second Meranen and The Doctor on the first.

"I had an idea." The Doctor replied over his own shoulder.

"We lost a lot of good men in the crash." The First Meranen said. "We are all that survives… it has made our need to escape this horrible little planet a mission of more than survival."

"It is for there memories that we must return to Xenon." The other said. "They should be put to rest properly, with their families."

"Just because you're hurting doesn't mean you need to play with the lives of others," Rose said wisely. "Tell them, Doctor," Rose looked back over her shoulder. "Tell them why their plan won't work."

"There's nothing for you on our ship." The Doctor added. "You'll never be able to move it, and you'll never be able to get into it."

"You underestimate our engineers, Doctor." The first Meranen said. "Our ship was beyond repair, and look at it now…" He drew his eyes to the ceiling and smiled. "With enough time they could make something work with whatever you've got."

"But you can't get in!" Rose spun around to look at them.

"Oh, we'll think of something." The first Meranen gave the second a nod and he stepped forward and grabbed Rose roughly by the shoulder.

"Let's go for a little walk." He said roughly.

"Keep your hands off me!" Rose tried to pull out of his grip but quickly stopped when the barrel of the gun was pressed to her head.

"Just do what they say." The Doctor said quietly and took her hand in his.

They marched down the stairs. The first Meranen still clutching the Queen and the second clutching Rose. The Doctor's face was dark and his brows weighed heavy on his eyes. Hostage situations always made saving the day a lot more difficult. Lower and lower they went as they made their way towards the pyramid. Rose bit on her lip as she tried to imagine a scenario where they could escape without one of them being caught.

When they finally reached the first pyramid level they'd come across two guards waiting in the dark. They each held a torch in one hand and a gun in the other. They looked serious and a little angry.

"Raz is dead." One of the guards said.

"What?!" The first Meranen asked.

"Found his body just under the engine room." The other guard clarified. "Shot."

"By who?" The second Meranen asked. The guards shook their heads, no answer was given.

"That's not all." The first guard said, a little nervously. "All the power to the ship has been cut off. Nothing is operational." The first Meranen growled angrily and thrust the old woman at one of the guards and quickly spun his body to aim his weapon right at The Doctor's head.

"This is your work!" He shouted angrily. "Where is your friend?" He demanded. The Doctor just shrugged and the Shaman growled again. "You, _Doctor_\- like a Bad Wolf come knocking at our door and blowing our house down! All we wanted was to leave this place!"

"I told you," The Doctor said dangerously. "You made a big mistake when you did what you did to Rose." Rose looked up at him with a proud smile on her face. Then she looked confidently back at the angry and unraveling shaman before them. "Not to mention the thousands of other lives you're willing to sacrifice to get what you want. Can't sit by for that, sorry." The gun rattled shakily in the shaman's hand. He turned to the guards once more.

"This is not a problem. We can fix this." He said with fake assurance. "We've come this far." The guards nodded in agreement. "All hands on deck, wake everyone from their sleep cycles. Send them searching for the other human, kill him." Rose swallowed a gasp and looked desperately at The Doctor. "I'll need ten men to accompany me to the jungle. They will guide us there and get us inside, then we will kill them." The guards nodded in understanding. Rose jumped as the second Meranen beside her shape-shifted into another guard.

"Don't you think it might seem odd trotting a Goddess and a demon out into the jungle at gunpoint?" The Doctor asked. Meranen looked irritated as he glanced over his shoulder at him.

"Bring around the carriage." He said quietly to one of the guards. The guard that had his hands free turned and ran into the darkness of the hallway. Meranen turned his body to face The Doctor who was now grinning. "You think you're so clever, don't you?"

"I am so clever." The Doctor said simply, holding his smile.

"You're not the least bit concerned that you and your shipmates are so close to death?"

"Don't plan on dying." The Doctor responded. Meranen took a few steps forward and stood intimidatingly close to The Doctor who never cracked. The Shaman studied his face with an air of irritation.

"Don't try anything funny, Doctor." He turned and took a step towards Rose and lorded over her a little too closely, he looked back at The Doctor who's smile had fallen into a glare. "You've made your weakness very clear." He gave an ugly sort of smile, then reached up and gripped Rose's chin tightly. "There are worse things than dying." He wrenched her head to the side and leaned in. The Doctor lurched forward and grabbed Meranen roughly. He pulled the gun up to remind The Doctor who was in control and then ran his tongue up an unwilling Rose's cheek.

"Disgusting pig!" She spat as she struggled against him and the guard that held her. The Doctor's jaw clenched angrily. Meranen laughed and spat on the ground at The Doctor's feet.

"Too easy." He smirked and wiped his face. Four more guards emerged from the darkness and he turned to meet with them.

"You alright?" The Doctor asked quietly.

"Fine." She rubbed her cheek roughly into her shoulder. "Takes more than a creepy shape-shifting alien with a bondage fetish to shake me." The Doctor gave her a smile and carefully reached his hand out so that their fingers could touch lightly. The guard pulled her back roughly when he'd seen the connection. The Doctor frowned again.

"Alright, let's move," Meranen said loudly, drawing The Doctor and Rose's attention back to him. He'd started walking down the dark hallway and the other soldiers turned to follow. The guard holding Rose shoved her forward roughly and she dug her heels in just to spite him. He growled and picked her up in a quick swoop and tossed her onto his broad shoulders. The Marched forward and The Doctor followed behind.

"Just behave." He mouthed to her silently. Rose crinkled her nose and crossed her arms. Her body bounced roughly against the movement of the guard, and the chains jangled annoyingly.

"You better have a plan." She mouthed back.

—

Back in the receiving room, it was quiet and dark. Jack burst into the room through the large open doors at the back but was disappointed when Rose and The Doctor weren't there. The twins followed him in and admired the grand scale of the room. They'd never seen anything like it before. The King hobbled in slowly behind them.

"Not a good sign." Jack sighed as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You sure you gave him the right directions?" The King shrugged.

"I believe I did… but it's tough to say where Meranen might have stuck her." The King rested his hand on a stone pillar for support. Jack turned away as to spare the King for the frustrated look he was sure was spreading across his face.

"We should probably go up and check it out." Jack began. "If he was successful at finding Rose no one will be up there if he was captured before he got the chance to save her then we can give it a shot."

The boys nodded in unison and made to follow Jack as he headed back towards the door. Unfortunately, they didn't make it to the hallway, three guards had burst into the room pointing guns at them. Jack threw up his hands instinctively and took a few surprising steps back.

"Damn." He whispered to himself. "Was only a matter of time I suppose."

"We were only told to kill the human, what do we do with the rest of them?" One of the guards asked. Jack cringed, not seeing an instant plan for escape available.

"Kill them all." Another one said. They took aim, but before they could squeeze the trigger one of the guards dropped suddenly to the ground like a sack of potatoes. The other two looked over in surprise, then they two dropped. Jack blinked a few times then spun around. Naheen was holding his unique pistol in his right hand, he stared sternly at their bodies.

"Nice shootin' Tex!" Jack eyed him in shock. "But when you meet The Doctor, maybe leave out the body count, okay?" Both boys nodded their response. "Let's get the hell out of here before more come. I got a feeling they're on the hunt for us now." He ran towards the King and turned quickly to crouch in front of him. "Hop on! We gotta hustle!" The King did as he was told and Jack started to run out of the room with the boys in following behind.

As they ran through the labyrinth-like landscape of the pyramid they could hear the footsteps of soldiers who were also running along the darkened hallways. Jack slowed his pace and tried to listen to where they might be coming from. After a moment he ducked around a corner and started running again.

"Where are we trying to go?" Naheen hissed.

"Back to the ship, it's our best bet." He replied breathlessly. "They'll be looking all over the castle for us so we can't stay here, but they also want the TARDIS and I've got a sneaking suspicion they've got a guide now."

"The Doctor?" The King asked anxiously.

"Most likely."

"What about your other friend?" Nahalo asked. "The girl?"

"Too risky to look for her now. We'll have to come back if she's not already with The Doctor." Jack pursed his lips at the thought of abandoning Rose, but his gut was telling him it was their best chance for survival.

Down the hall and around another corner, the flickering of torches revealed several guards walking away from them. Jack slowed his pace and prayed they hadn't heard them. They were talking and moving and a steady pace.

"Humans? Here?" One of them said.

"Have you seriously been asleep this whole time?" Another responded.

"Well, what else have we to do?" There was a pause. "Is Raz really dead?"

"Yes."

"Shame. The death toll rises."

"It's why we need to kill the human. Avenge his death."

"What of the other two?" A third soldier asked. "Weren't there three humans?"

"Yeah." The second one answered. "But they've bought some time for themselves by claiming their ship cannot be entered without their key. So, Nardock has them leading a group directly to it so they can unlock it, then they'll finish them off.

"Ahh." The other guards nodded in understanding.

"I can't believe how close we are to leaving!" A fourth soldier chirped happily. Sounded like a female, but her body was clearly a burly man like the rest of them.

Nahalo gripped Jack's shoulder to stop him from going any further. He gestured to a hallway they had passed and ushered him to go down it. Jack nodded but looked back at the glowing figures that were retreating. They happily discussed their homeworld and the life they'd left behind. The Captain couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for taking away their chance to go home again.

"This is good news!" Nahalo whispered once they were a safe distance from the guards. "Your friends are together and still alive!"

"Yeah," Jack whispered in response. "For now anyway, we'll have to hurry."

—

The carriage was pulled by two massive gorilla type beasts with twisted faces from a horror film. They had bright red shaggy hair and purple skin exposed at their face and hands. Their feet were shiny hooves, also purple. Rose pulled a face when she saw them, part intrigue and part nausea. The guard tossed her roughly in the carriage but kept the gun on her as The Doctor climbed inside. The Queen was ushered in next, then Meranen who had his gun on her.

Rose climbed up onto the seat in an ungraceful attempt at keeping herself concealed, having still been in the rather revealing clothing. She yanked up her top and readjusted herself, then her crown, then let out a loud irritated sigh. The Doctor patted her knee cheerily, but his eyes weren't on her. They were locked on Meranen.

"Why not let the Queen go? She's innocent in all this, she doesn't know where the ship is." The carriage jutted forward awkwardly, but it didn't seem to phase The Doctor.

"The more hostages, the better you'll both behave." Meranen smiled. "Also, she's a serious liability. Everyone thinks she died years ago, she'll go when you do." The Doctor pursed his lips angrily. The Queen just looked down at her hands. A calm and thoughtful look on her face.

"It's a bloody mess," Rose muttered as she turned to look out the window. The Doctor gave her a quick glance before looking back at the phony shaman.

"It's not too late." He tried, leaning on his knees with his elbows. "I can take you all back. We have the room, really." Meranen scoffed and leaned back in his seat.

"A craft piloted by three humans? Not likely."

"I'm not human." The Doctor said flatly. Meranen eyed him with faint intrigue but decided not to feed whatever game he was playing at. He remained silent. The Doctor sighed and leaned back. He lifted his arms to rest on the seat, one tucked behind Rose's shoulder, and he crossed his long legs widely. His boot kicked Meranen knee in the process. "Gonna be a long ride."

"No funny business." Meranen reminded. "You take us straight there." The Doctor nodded exaggeratedly.

"How's this great carriage going to get through the thick jungle?" Rose asked, her hand gesturing out the window. "And up a cliff! I fell down a cliff to get here."

"There will be a bit of walking involved," Meranen replied.

"But all those people you sent out to look for the TARDIS… they'll be out there." Rose pried further.

"The jungle is massive, they'll be quite spread out. If we stumble across someone we'll just have to kill them." He said it as if it were a simple and natural solution. The Doctor closed his eyes and shook his head disapprovingly. "I know what you think of me, Doctor, but if you'd been stranded on a primitive world for so long… You'd become desperate and careless yourself."

"I have been. A couple of times." The Doctor frowned, Rose glanced up at him briefly. She remembered the time when he was sucked back in time and had to wait twenty-eight years to get to her. He waited for her all that time. She imagined it was because there was no other option to get back to the TARDIS, but at that moment she was beginning to wonder if he'd thought about her during those years. Isolated, waiting for her. She looked away, suddenly feeling guilty. "Made lemonade from lemons."

"Well, you're a better man than I." Meranen spat as he turned to look out the window.

"I know that." The Doctor agreed.

The carriage had just left the gates of the city and was coming up the hill to the edge of the jungle. They still hadn't seen any signs of villagers running about looking for space ships, which meant they were probably deep inside, still committed to the hunt. The Carriage came to a rough stop and everyone was pushed out roughly at gunpoint. Rose had stumbled and fallen into the dirt having tripped on her own garment. She cried out in frustration and smacked her hand against the ground.

"Get up!" One of the guards growled and pulled her from the floor.

"These clothes are bloody well impractical! No one can be expected to do things in this. I mean, look at it! It's ridiculous!" She gestured to herself, but then caught the eye of The Queen who had been wearing a very similar top and skirt combo. She blushed a little. "Looks great on you though, Ma'am, honest." She offered awkwardly.

"Oh, get on with it!" Meranen groaned impatiently. The guards pushed the three captives towards the jungle.

Miraculously, they had made it to Rose's discarded hat without seeing a single villager. The Doctor was relieved at that, and the shapeshifters seemed to be relieved that they were, in fact, going in the right direction. It was when they reached the cliff that they found some struggle. They walked along its edge for some time, looking for anything that would get them up. It looked as if it might slope down if they kept walking, but that would mean a lot of backtracking and potentially getting lost. How could you know where you started if you couldn't see through the trees? Once again, disorganized chaos.

The guards all had their eyes on the cliff's edge as they walked along, but Rose and The Doctor had their eyes out into the jungle. Sooner or later, they were bound to run into someone. Sure enough, The Doctor caught sight of a young girl in the distance. She stood still, frozen at the sight. The Doctor carefully touched his fingers to Rose's without drawing attention from the guards. She looked up at him, then followed his eyes.

The girl was staring right at her. Rose looked back at the guards and shook her head slowly and carefully. She tried to show clear expressions on her face as she mouthed the words GET HELP. The girl continued to stare, so Rose repeated. She looked back at the guards who were still scanning the cliff, then back at the girl. Her eyes pleading. The girl nodded and ran back into the jungle. Rose looked at The Doctor who gave a light shrug. At least the girl would stay alive.

"There." One of the guards pointed ahead. "Looks like there's been a rockslide at some point. We should be able to climb up that. Doesn't seem as high here."

"Good call." Another guard said as he picked up his pace.

Just as they'd started to climb the rocks, another villager came into view. This one an older man, much closer than the girl had been. They had no time to warn him, a guard raised its gun and shot him swiftly in the chest. The Queen gasped and raised a hand to her mouth, Rose cringed and looked away, The Doctor just stared sadly at the body.

"Sorry." He whispered as the guard shoved him forward to climb up the rubble.

After a few hours of grueling walking, and three more unfortunate deaths, the TARDIS came into view. Instantly, Rose felt relief at the sight of it, then she remembered that once they got inside it would be all over. She gulped as they pushed her closer and closer to the familiar blue box.

"That's it?" Meranen scoffed. "You must be joking."

"Looks can be deceiving." The Doctor shrugged. Meranen, having the appearance of something else himself nodded.

"Right then," He cleared his throat. "Open it."

"You forgot the magic word." The Doctor said. Meranen growled and reached forward to grab Rose. She squealed as he pulled her to him.

"I've lost my patience, Doctor." He said frantically. "Do not test me." The Doctor nodded and slowly reached into his jacket pocket. He retrieved the small metal key and held it up to show everyone, then turned.

"No, Doctor. Don't do it!" Rose cried out. "We can die out here, we're going to die anyway, but don't let them get at her." The Doctor turned to face her with a look of distress and conflicting emotions that Rose couldn't comprehend. Meranen squeezed his arm tightly around her throat causing her to choke a little. His gun pressed firmly to her head.

"OPEN IT." He screamed angrily. Rose shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Enough!" He tossed Rose to the ground and kicked her hard. She yelped in pain. The Doctor turned to aid her, but all guns were now pointing at the both of them. He gulped and turned slowly to the door. The key turned smoothly in the lock. He took a deep breath and pulled it out again. Then he opened the door. "Go on," Meranen gestured with his weapon. "Go inside." He pulled Rose up roughly and pushed her towards the door as well.

The two of them timidly stepped inside and Meranen followed. The Guards stayed outside, one still holding a gun to the Queen's head. Once inside Meranen was only slightly shocked at the size of the room. He nodded approvingly as he admired the console in the center. Rose clung to The Doctor's arm and shook as she waited for the last seconds of her life to pass.

"Very good." Meranen laughed. "Very good! This ship is a gold mine…" He clasped his hands together excitedly. "We're finally going home!" He laughed chaotically, then he lifted his gun to The Doctor. "Thank you both for dropping in and laying this lovely gift at my feet." He said charmingly. "Now, afraid it's time to say goodbye."

"Wait." The Doctor held up his hand. "At least give us a chance to say goodbye to each other." Rose gripped him tighter, she closed her eyes to fight back the tears that stung them. Saying goodbye would only make it harder. The Doctor looked pleadingly at Meranen he seemed to be mulling it over. He smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Pathetic." He groaned. "But alright, seems only fair." The Doctor nodded and swiftly turned his body to face Rose.

"Doctor, I can't-" She began shakily. The Doctor raised his hands gently to her face and wiped the tears from her cheek with a sweep of each thumb. "I can't believe all the times we've faced death, but now it's really come for us and there's no way out… I-I just want you to know you've made my life infinitely better and if I have to die I'm glad it'll be in your arms." The Doctor smiled weakly and nodded. Meranen rolled his eyes. "Doctor, I want you to know… to know that I-I lo-"

"Shh-shh-shh." The Doctor cut her off pulling her into a hug that squished her face uncomfortably into his chest. She frowned into him. "Lovely words and all that-" He said quietly. "But what I really need to say before the end is:" He pulled Rose away from him just enough that she could look up at him. "Activate protocol seven-two-seven." The last words came out hurriedly. Rose barely registered what he'd said when the lights in the room changed to a reddish glow and the door slammed shut tightly.

Meranen raised his gun again and began to pull the trigger when a sudden beam had emerged from somewhere unseen and vaporized him into a pile of dust. Rose gasped as it fluttered to the floor. The Doctor stood stone-faced and silent. She released her grip on him slowly.

"You killed him." She whispered.

"Had no choice." He said simply. They were quiet, just standing there looking at the remains of the stranded alien who'd been so desperate to get home. Desperate enough to hurt so many people and take so many lives.

Suddenly, a gunshot broke them both from their trance. They darted forward to the door. Upon opening, the first thing the duo had noticed was that the Queen was thankfully still alive. Alive, and clutching one of the weapons in her confident hands. Then, emerging from the jungle were two young men, identical and wielding guns. The guards all lay dead on the jungle floor, The Doctor shook his head.

"They stole my life." The Queen spat angrily as she threw the gun to the ground. "They stole my children, my husband…" Rose walked over and carefully rested a hand on the older woman's shoulder. She looked up at her. There was a silent understanding there.

"Thought I might find you here!" Jack called out as he emerged from the thick foliage with the King on his back. He lowered him carefully and ran forward to hug Rose. Rose ran out to meet him halfway and he lifted her up into the air. She squealed.

"Easy does it!" She said giving him a tap on the arm. "This skirt isn't exactly modest" She looked around to be sure no one was blushing from seeing something they shouldn't have.

"Glad you're alright." He grinned. Then he turned and approached The Doctor, wrapping him in a tight hug. "And you, of course. Though there wasn't any doubt."

"Naturally." The Doctor grinned. Then he turned his attention to the boys holding guns and the dead bodies. "What's all this then?"

"Ah, yes." Jack nodded and rested his hands on his hips as he looked around at the carnage. "Well, seems the lads here made quick work of your captors. We met them in the pyramid, they seem to be the only villagers that suspected something wasn't right and came looking for a fight." The Doctor nodded, his brow furrowed in concentration as he scanned the bodies.

"Oh!" The queen cried loudly. The three turned to look at her as she collapsed to the ground. Her finger pointed shakily at the King. "It can't be!" The Doctor smiled as the King stepped forward.

"Lendalell, my love. It's been too long." The King hobbled forward and crouched down to hug her where she sat. Tears in his eyes. They embraced tightly, and the TARDIS trio could not help themselves but grin at the beautiful picture before them.

"You look dreadful." The Queen smiled as she pulled him back to look at him. He laughed.

"And you look old." She tutted and pulled him back into a hug. Then he pulled away again and stood shakily, he offered his hand to help her stand as well. The two young men watched quietly at the reunion. The Doctor looked back at them and tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Twins." He mused. "How common are twins on this planet?"

"Not common." The King confirmed. "Only one known case." He turned to the young men and smiled. He took a few shaky steps towards them and patted Nahalo on the arm. "I recognized you both the second I met you… Your mother's eyes…" The boys looked at each other in shock.

"You know our mother?" Naheen asked excitedly. The King laughed and nodded.

"Oh, my boys. She is here," He pointed to The Queen who raised her hands to her lips in shock. Fresh tears trickling her cheeks. "And your father…" He gestured awkwardly to himself. The boys stepped back in shock.

"Could it be?" Nahalo asked.

"Seems to convenient not to be true." Jack shrugged with a big Hollywood smile. The Queen ran forward and embraced the boys in a hug, she sobbed uncontrollably. Jack threw his arms over The Doctor and Rose happily. "I love a happy ending, don't you?"

"Not over yet," Rose commented.

"Still have a bunch of Whifferdill that will be needing a lift home." The Doctor pushed Jack's arm off him. "Come along, Royal Family." He called out as he stepped inside the TARDIS. "I won't be walking that jungle again. Time to get you home." The reunited family looked at each other in confusion, then back at the small blue box.


	8. Returned & Remembered

**The Desperate & The Forgotten  
Chapter 8**

**x**

All was quiet again aboard the TARDIS. A welcome relief for her tired crew. She had just delivered a decent amount of stranded Whifferdill back to their home planet of Xenon, and the experience had been a bit much for the old girl. Excited little yellow men and women filled the control room and spilled into the hallways. Some celebrating with great exuberance, while other's mourned the loss of fallen comrades.

The Doctor offered his apology to them for their losses, but once he'd promised to take them all home they'd quickly abandoned their weapons and forgave. The desperation was so real and so pathetic. He reflected on the experience silently as he cleaned beneath the grating of the newly quiet control room.

From somewhere above, he could hear someone enter the room. Jack or Rose he wasn't able to tell right away. The two of them had spent the last hour trying to keep everyone in order. Keeping anyone from straying off into the TARDIS and offering tea to those who'd take it. They both looked completely spent by the time the creatures had piled out. The Doctor looked up through the grating and saw Rose peeking down at him, on her hands and knees.

"You changed." He pointed out, looking back down to the task at hand. Rose smirked, relieved to be rid of that ridiculous costume and back in her jeans.

"Do I detect a bit of disappointment, Doctor?" She stuck her tongue between her teeth cheekily. The Doctor didn't answer but decided to take a break from cleaning and climb up out of the floor. Rose climbed to her feet and wandered over to the jump seat. "What a day!" She sighed as she flopped down onto the worn out seat. The Doctor brushed himself off as he stood tall on the surface once more. He looked up at her and she patted the place next to her. The Doctor smiled and casually made his way over, flopping down identically to her moments before.

They just smiled at each other. Then Rose reached forward to pat The Doctor on the knee as a sign of a job well done. He threw his arm along the back of the seat behind her. Just another sort of successful adventure with The Doctor. The moments after a win always felt the best to Rose.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The Doctor asked at last. His face serious, one of the few looks that revealed his true years.

"Naw," Rose shook her head and smiled. "I'm alright, really I am." The Doctor smiled and reached out to hold her hand firmly in his.

"Rose Tyler." He said appreciatively while looking at the glowing core of the console. "I knew I'd picked a good one."

"Umm, pretty sure you said you'd picked 'another stupid ape' not too long ago." She said a little sassily and then laughed and bumped her shoulder into his to show she was just playing around. He frowned and leaned to the side to get away from her, he looked back with a mock taste of annoyance.

"You know I hate being teased."

"So you've said." She rolled her eyes and grinned. The Doctor grinned and leaned back in to bump her shoulder as she'd done to him. They smiled goofily for a little bit in silence, then The Doctor decided he'd had enough cheeriness. Satisfied that Rose wasn't completely scarred from her experience, he released her hand and jumped up, making to go back to work. Rose frowned. "Is there something you'd like to talk about, Doctor?"

"What do you mean?" He turned to look back at her. Rose leaned forward onto her palms and swung her feet back and forth childishly.

"Anything you want to get off your chest?" She pried, attempting to swallow a grin. The Doctor brought a hand to his chest and looked to the side as if trying to reach back into his brain for something. Rose rolled her eyes. "I heard you, Doctor." She said, exaggerating the word 'heard'. She couldn't help but smile at the confusion all over his face. He really didn't remember.

"Maybe we should give your brain a scan," The Doctor suggested as he turned away from her. "Seems like somethings gone wrong in there." He opened the hatch that lead back down under the grating, but Rose jumped up from her seat and moved to stop him. Part of her knew the right thing to do was drop it, The Doctor was The Doctor. He needed his distance, it made him feel safe. The other part of her was a nineteen-year-old girl who couldn't help herself and a stubborn woman who wanted to break down his walls.

The Doctor was stepping down into the floor, his hand on the hatch. Rose crouched down and set her hand on top of his. He jerked his head to look up at her. He couldn't escape fast enough, Rose knew he was either going to go cagey like a feral cat being cornered or he'd just shut down… but maybe, maybe he'd be cool and actually talk to her. Slim chance, but she was bullheaded enough to go for it.

"I heard the nice things you said when you were rescuing me." She spoke softly as if he were a wild animal that needed to be tamed. He didn't look at her, he was quiet. Ah, the old shut down approach. "I just thought you should know, it was really nice to hear… you know, that I'm not just a useless pain in the arse that keeps needing to be rescued." He looked up at her with a face that looked a little surprised, and she grinned.

"Rose," He reached a hand up to cup her cheek. "You're more valuable than you realize." They stared at each other quietly. A special moment passing between them. For a brief second, Rose could feel her heart start to flutter like something was birthing there. A feeling, or a need that made her lean in a little. Then The Doctor slapped her cheek lightly a couple of times as if she'd been a good boy. She crinkled her nose in disapproval. Then he pinched her nose, grinned like the massive prick he was and sunk down into the floor with a little wave of his fingers. Rose groaned and jumped to her feet.

The Doctor was The Doctor, she would just have to come to terms with his hot and cold emotions. One thing had become clear to her though, The Doctor would always be there for her. He'd admitted something she'd never ever dreamed and that was enough for Rose, even if he wouldn't admit to it all at that moment. She was satisfied with herself as she turned to leave the control room. They'd still be best mates, nothing would change between them, but now Rose could fall asleep to the comfort that she was just as important to The Doctor as he was to her.

THE END.

* * *

Thanks for reading and going on this adventure with me!  
Cheers!


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